Target Flushes Decency

Target Flushes Decency

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

April 28, 2016

Capitulating to one of the smallest global populations, Target Corp., headquartered in Minneapolis, will inevitably cost itself millions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of customers, a drop in its share value, and safety issues for women and young children.

A growing petition already signed by greater than 980,000 people pledging to boycott the second largest discount retailer because of a disastrously moronic decision to allow transgender patrons to opt for the bathroom and changing room “corresponding with their gender identity,” as opposed to the gender gifted to them at birth by G-d.

So, in a country where it is increasingly anything goes, Target has put women and children at risk by giving a green light to any Tom, Dick, and pervert to don a dress and commit any number of heinous acts. But to the good, decent, honorable people of the United States, anything does not go, and men are men, while women are women and the two should use their assigned restrooms and dressing rooms whether in Target, another retail establishment, a restaurant, supermarket, or school.

Similar legislation passed in North Carolina and was signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory (R) as a preemptive strike against an ordinance from being enacted in Charlotte permitting people from choosing bathroom and locker room facilities on a whim of how they feel at the moment.

In response to the Tar Heel State standing up to indecency and supporting the majority of its population, the NCAA, American Airlines, and PayPal have decried the decision as discriminatory and are rethinking conducting business in the state.

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling, now a former ESPN analyst, was fired on April 20 for opining on this issue in favor of North Carolina’s HB2. Schilling noted that to want gender appropriate changing and restroom facilities garners one a label of bigot, homophobe, or worse – death threats.

On Facebook, Schilling posted: “A man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don’t care what they are, who they sleep with, men’s room was designed for the penis, women’s not so much. Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic.”

Schilling has long been outspoken on numerous issues, taking a conservative stance, for which he remains non-apologetic. Schilling has every right to his opinions while ESPN has a right to relieve him of his duties. Schilling is a principled individual who knew his opinions were in the minority at ESPN and knew his days were probably numbered at the sports network. Schilling should be applauded.

It is vital for principled people like Schilling and those of us who write in support of decency in the United States to not allow those who live a laissez-faire lifestyle to intimidate the overwhelming majority of the people who know that it is common sense for men to use the men’s room and women to use the women’s room without putting anyone in harm’s way.

We live in dangerous times. We are hounded by terrorism both domestically and globally. We have a failing public school system in complete disrepair. We have rising crime rates due to a lack of value placed on human life – including black on black murders and the snuffing out of unborn children via the legalized murder called abortion.

But instead of ignoring what many may not think is a big deal – after all who sees what genitals a person has when they enter a toilet stall or a changing room stall? Just the opposite. I subscribe to what former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani calls the “broken window philosophy.” While replacing and repairing broken windows may not seem a priority, ignoring it makes the neighborhood worse. Ignoring the allowance of bathroom facilities, changing and locker rooms to be open to anyone’s impulse simply sets a dangerous precedence for the perverse to push against the majority of decent, moral Americans.

Call Target at 1-800-440-0680 to politely, yet firmly, express your outrage regarding this decision as well as to inform them of your decision to take your business and hard earned money elsewhere.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Final Four has Historic Lattin Flavor

Final Four has Historic Lattin Flavor

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

April 1, 2016

The juxtaposition is nothing short of delicious on so many levels, both for me, as well as the bigger picture and the protagonists of this story.

“Out in that West Texas town of El Paso,” to boldly borrow from Marty Robbins’ song El Paso, there seemed to be more tumbleweeds than traffic lights, when a brash, confident basketball player stepped off a bus from Houston onto a campus rich in beautiful Bhutanese architecture to begin life as a student at the Texas Western College of the University of Texas. That young man, now 72, was David “Big Daddy” Lattin.

Little did Lattin know in 1965 he would be a part of something special; something historical; a lasting legacy as pivotal and unintentional to the fabric of the Civil Rights movement as Rosa Parks sitting in the white section of a bus on December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama.

Lattin was part of a Texas Western team that would toil in virtual anonymity during the early stage of the 1965-66 season under the tutelage of their coach Don Haskins, a former girls high school coach who took a pay cut to coach on the college level in that dusty West Texas town, also the home of Fort Bliss. Haskins would coach the Miners from 1961-99 compiling a record of 719-353, for a winning percentage of .671 – one of the winningest coaches in the NCAA. He earned a spot in the National Collegiate Hall of Fame in 1997, retired in 1999, and passed away in 2008 at age 78.

The Miners record reached 12-0 before earning any national recognition, ranked ninth in the polls. By the time the Miners were 23-0 they had risen to number two in the nation, but the team of 12, containing seven black players, most of who started on a regular basis, dealt with racial animus along the road, and not just in the south. Confederate flags could be seen at many road games and racial epithets rained down on the players in some places both on and off the court. During the team’s final regular season game on the road at Seattle not one single foul was whistled against the host team as they dealt the Miners their first loss of the season 74-72. More than just a bit suspect? Yet the Miners maintained their resolve and cohesive structure.

Not to be deterred, the Miners won their first NCAA tournament game, yet dropped to third in the national rankings, where they would remain through the national championship game.

The historic national championship game, played on March 19, 1966 – the year I was born, was hosted by the University of Maryland – my undergraduate alma mater. The all white University of Kentucky team, coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp, took to the court at Cole Field House, where I watched so many games as a Maryland student, as the favorite. The Texas Western Miners, to be renamed the University of Texas at El Paso in 1967, more commonly known as UTEP – where I attended graduate school, took the court with an all black starting lineup – an NCAA championship first. (Not until 1969 would a black player suit up for Kentucky.)

Coach Haskins informed his team he would only be employing his black players that night – the five who would start – including Lattin, Orsten Artis, Harry Flournoy, Bobby Joe Hill, and Willie Worsley, as well as two off the bench – Willie Cager and Nevil Shed. No doubt the white players were disappointed they would not see action in the championship game, but they each played a vital role as basketball is a team game. Jerry Armstrong, Louis Baudoin, Dick Myers, Dave Palacio, and Togo Railey each made key contributions to the team’s run to the title game throughout the season.

The Kentucky team featured well-known names such as Pat Riley and Louie Dampier, both who played professional basketball – Riley in the NBA and Dampier in both the ABA and the NBA. Lattin would also play pro ball – five seasons – two in the NBA with the San Francisco Warriors, who made him a first round, number 10 overall pick, and the Phoenix Suns, as well as three in the ABA with the Pittsburgh Condors and Memphis Tams.

Led by Bobby Joe Hill, who scored a team high 20 points against Kentucky, Lattin was not far behind with his 16 points, and Artis contributed 15 to pace the Miners. Both the Willies, Cager and Worsley, scored eight points apiece, while Shed and Flournoy added three and two respectively to provide the 72 point total for the Miners. Those 72 points held up as Kentucky fell seven points short with 65, earning not only the lone NCAA men’s basketball championship in Texas Western, now UTEP, history, but the only NCAA men’s basketball championship in the state of Texas. The story of the 1965-66 Miners is depicted, with some liberties, in both book and film entitled Glory Road.

Fifty years ago the Texas Western Miners were champions of the NCAA. Fifty years later the grandson of David “Big Daddy” Lattin, Khadeem Lattin, a Houston native, will take to the court at NRG Stadium in Houston to play in the Final Four for the University of Oklahoma, where his color will be unnoticed. The younger Lattin, a sophomore public relations major, has started all of the Sooners’ games this season, averaging 5.7 points per game, and 5.3 rebounds per game playing 22 minutes per game. During the tournament Lattin has averaged 7.5 points per game in 21 minutes of playing time per game.

Five black starters may lace up their sneakers for any number of teams and it is just another day, another game, for thousands donning uniforms on campuses across the United States. In a national climate with more racial strife than we should accept, young men and young women take to the fields of competition in many arenas working as the cohesive units teams should. David Lattin helped pave a path that has made life easier for his grandson Khadeem Lattin, and regardless of the score on the court, everyone emerges a winner.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Terror Spouts in Brussels

Terror Sprouts in Brussels

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

March 25, 2016

Far be it for me to denigrate, disparage, or malign the victims in the recent Brussels terror attack at the hands of the ISIS/ISIL savages, but Belgium’s security is faulty at best, criminal at worst.

We, the civilized people of the world – American, Canadian, European, Australian, Asian, African – people of various faiths – mourn the loss of the 34 slaughtered and pray for the recovery of the more than 270 injured in the homicide attacks by radical Islamic terrorists in Brussels, the home of the European Union. Included among the murdered, American siblings Alexander and Sascha Pinczowski, and three Mormon missionaries are counted among the injured.

However, much more than mourn and pray for the dead and injured is required following continued attacks on, and murders of, innocent men, women, and children in the cities of Boston, Brussels, Chattanooga, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Paris, San Bernardino, and the countries of Egypt and Tunisia.

First, Belgium must amend its feeble policies regarding searches, all the while remembering that nation does not have a constitution like the United States. That said, a law restricting searches of homes, even with warrants, and suspicion of terrorism, to exclude the hours 9 PM through 5 AM is beyond irresponsible. Belgium also denies the sharing of information with countries outside the European Union – that includes the United States, a NATO ally forever making sacrifices for this little country. Even phones cannot be tapped in Belgium, nor computers monitored, again, even when under the suspicion of terrorist plots and activities.

Belgium is the home to huge and growing populations of unassimilated peoples. That is not the only country absorbing tens of thousands of foreigners unwilling to adopt their new country’s ways – Denmark, England, France, Germany among others are only beginning to regret such unfettered access. But it is already too late as the demands by many for Sharia Law, attacks and assaults on Christians and Jews only demonstrate the lack of willingness for Muslim extremists to join the cultures of the countries to which they chose to move.

On our side of the Atlantic Ocean, a continued feckless foreign policy by a so-called leader who believes in leading from behind, which of course, is not leading at all, won’t even call the enemy by its name – radical Muslim extremists. Even when ISIS declares its responsibility for its horrific murderous crimes, Barack Obama still refuses to admit there is a growing problem with Muslim extremists.

Additionally, there are the optics of Obama’s recent trip overseas to Latin America. Far too many people complained that Obama should not have attended the exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team the afternoon following the Brussels terror attacks at an airport, subway station, and train station. All those people completely missed the point. The baseball game, sitting next to Communist dictator Raul Castro, and a poor attempt at the wave were not the objectionable actions by Obama. He should never have visited Cuba in the first place.

Adding to Obama’s visual vicissitudes was his weak execution of the tango while visiting Argentina. Obama dances while Europe burns. Obama claimed to attempt to rebuff his dance partner, but that she made several overtures toward him to tango. Quite frankly, knowing Obama is already incapable of standing up to the enemies of the United States or standing up for the allies of the United States, it should surprise no one that he couldn’t stand up to a potential dance partner.

Obama and his successor must focus on the fomenting domestic terror by radicalized Muslim extremists. This includes, yes, profiling. Political correctness continues to see innocents slaughtered and the lack of determination by the government, whose paramount concerns are the defending of America’s borders and the protection of its citizenry, to perform its jobs is less defensible with each passing day. Profiling has recently been endorsed by radio talk show host Laura Ingraham, a thoughtful conservative; former Ambassador John Bolton; and Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim.

Dr. Jasser is a doctor of internal medicine and nuclear cardiology in Phoenix. He founded the American Islamic Forum for Democracy in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. In condemning the Brussels terrorist attacks, Jasser said it was obvious that the local Muslim community shielded the terrorists in their ability to avoid detection. Jasser said Muslim communities should be “transparent,” open to “monitoring,” and “even calling it profiling,” as it would not violate their civil rights.

It will take more thoughtful Muslims like Dr. Jasser to stand up and be counted. While terrorist enclaves are hiding in plain sight in Europe and more in the United States than Americans would ever know about, “see something, say something” must be more than a catchy slogan. Failure to do so cost 14 people their lives in San Bernardino last December. Terror cells must be thwarted and destroyed. The enemy – Muslim extremism – is no longer at the gates – it has infiltrated American society and all tactics to destroy it must be employed.

The United States must remain the land of the free and the home of the brave. We welcome honest, hardworking foreign immigrants who will pledge their allegiance to their new country and not attempt to undermine and destroy it.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Obama Wrong to Close Gitmo

Obama Wrong to Close Gitmo

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 24, 2016

In yet another disastrous decision Barack Obama announced the closing of Guantanamo Bay detention camp (Gitmo) that has been incarcerating enemy combatants since its inception in January 2002.

“This is about closing a chapter in our history,” said Obama on Tuesday. In closing Gitmo and continuing to release captured terrorists, many of whom return to the battlefield, as well as planning to relocate others to the US mainland, it will only further remind people of the devastation visited upon New York City, Arlington, VA, and Shanksville, PA on a beautiful late summer morning 15 years ago.

The September 11, 2001 chapter in American history will no more be closed than the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 will ever be closed. Indelibly etched in the hearts and minds of Americans of all ages and stripes, closing Gitmo will only serve to remind people of the feckless nature of Obama and his administration. An administration that refuses to call the enemy what they are – Muslim/Islamic extremists and/or radical Muslims – even when they themselves, in the form of ISIS/ISIL call themselves the Islamic State.

During his announcement Obama linked himself to former President George W. Bush and Arizona Senator John McCain, both Republicans; by saying they too supported the shuttering of Gitmo. Unfortunately, both Bush and McCain were just as wrong as Obama remains today. Obama said that former bipartisan support for the closing of Gitmo turned into a partisan issue. That’s because those in favor of retaining Gitmo for the purpose of imprisoning the enemy seeking to kill Americans, Christians, Jews, and otherwise destroy the fabric of Western Civilization, got a clue, saw the light, and understand how dangerous these savages are.

Closing Gitmo “reflects our best thinking,” said Obama. Obviously, he is not thinking clearly at all. Only 91 detainees remain in Gitmo, said Obama, noting that 85 percent of the more than 800 have been returned to other countries. What Obama failed to indicate in his whitewashing of the story, is that many of the detainees have returned to the battlefield to continue their bloodthirsty quest of torture, car and bus bombing, beheading, and even immolation of those they deem infidels. Such “infidels” have recently included Christian children wanting to play soccer, Jewish mothers and children innocently riding buses in Israel, and Muslim children listening to so-called modern music.

Obama then attempted to make the case by saying there are “only 91 detainees” remaining in Gitmo, when he was guilty of releasing most of them in the first place. Of those, 35 are to be transferred to other countries – countries, that Obama said need to have strong security measures. How will Obama know? To which countries will these terrorists be sent? What assurances does he have? Such a thoughtless decision runs counterproductive to the continuing fight against terrorism, yet Obama said “we’ve examined all the options.”

How about the option of keeping Gtimo open and never having released the first terrorist?

Instead, Obama announced these terrorists will likely have new addresses in Colorado, Kansas, South Carolina, and six military bases, which he said would save money and lower costs by about $85 million a year. Save money by not building soccer fields for the terrorist prisoners. Save money by not giving terrorists cushy-tushy lives heeding to their demands for special food and housing conditions.

“The left portrays Gitmo as Treblinka with palm trees,” said Col. Ralph Peters on Fox News Wednesday morning. These terrorists have 300 channels of satellite television, a 20,000-plus book library, healthcare rivaling that which American citizens PAY for, thousands of video games, legal representation – all paid for by we the people – the taxpayers of the United States of America. The living conditions of these terrorists are far better than they would ever have in their third world toilets of countries. There are American veterans living on the streets who should be treated better than these terrorists, but they are not a priority to Obama. What is a priority to Obama is having normalized relations with Cuba as a legacy item.

Obama also advised that one of the most effective options is via the federal court system. These are enemy combatants, not common criminals – terrorists who want to see us, as a whole, dead, and Western Civilization a distant memory – just as they are attempting in Europe with the destruction of Christian religious antiquities.

On the very day Obama made his myopic announcement a former Gitmo detainee was arrested in Spain for plotting terrorist attacks. Also within hours of Obama’s statement Republican presidential hopefuls Senator Ted Cruz (TX), Senator Marco Rubio (FL), and Donald Trump decried it as misguided and dangerous, calling for Gitmo to not only remain open, but expand its numbers of terrorist detainees. On the flip side, and demonstrating their utter lack of understanding of this situation, both Democrats seeking their party’s nomination, Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders (Socialist-VT) fully support Obama’s plan. As a former Secretary of State Clinton should know better, but her record proves otherwise.

Call your House members. Call your Senators. Implore them, politely, to block the closure of Gitmo and make the lives of those confined there less comfortable. Call 202-224-3121 for the Capitol switchboard. There is far too much at stake as this nation is at a crossroads with the White House up for grabs, and now, due to the untimely passing of judicial giant Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court also hangs in the balance. It is imperative that we the people make our voices heard now more than ever.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Cruz Campaign Lacks Christian Compassion

Cruz Campaign Lacks Christian Compassion

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 12, 2016

Full disclosure, I support Senator Ted Cruz for President. The Texas Republican is the right brand of conservative supporting fiscal responsibility, is pro-life, staunchly an ally of Israel, and understands the United States Constitution better than most. Liberal jurist Alan Dershowitz has oft-praised Cruz’s constitutional acumen. The 2016 election is one of the most vital in generations as the next president may well have the responsibility to appoint three or four people to serve life terms to the Supreme Court.

That said, the Cruz campaign did its candidate a disservice, even in the Palmetto State of South Carolina boasting of a plethora of Evangelical Christian voters, by pulling the television advertisement that included amongst its cast a woman who acted in what are being labeled soft-core adult films.

Amy Lindsay, a Columbus, Ohio native raised in Houston, Texas, called herself a conservative Republican in more than one interview, and is hedging between Cruz and Donald Trump for president. Lindsay graduated from the University of Texas in 1995 majoring in journalism with a drama minor. Her film credits are predominantly in the realm of “late night Cinemax,” as one interviewer noted. She also appeared in the television crime drama Silk Stalkings, as well as more mainstream films Star Trek: Voyager and The Portrait of a Lady.

Lindsay responded to a casting call for actors for the political ad and earned a speaking role in the spot that aired one time prior to being pulled when she was noticed and identified for her previous film works.

“Unfortunately, she was not vetted by the casting company. Had the campaign known of her full filmography, we obviously would not have let her appear in the ad,” commented a spokesperson for the Cruz campaign, according to the Independent, a British publication.

Why is that “obvious?” Should a rehabilitated adult actress be punished for her previous choices and not be cast in any future work? Would not that relegate her to nothing but adult-themed roles? Why is Lindsay less qualified to appear in the Cruz commercial than any of the other actors?

And what of the person or people who “outed” her? If they are so virtuous how did they know who she is? What’s in their video library? Are they so perfect and pious that they can sit in judgment of Lindsay? Who are they to judge when they themselves are no doubt mortal, fallible people. Have they no regrets of their own past? Even if Lindsay does not regret her previous roles does she not deserve the same chance at mainstream work? If not, have they not condemned her to a life of unsavory options? Or even on the government dole – something Republicans claim they seek to eliminate? Can’t have it both ways.

For those who condemn Lindsay’s prior work as sinful, doesn’t their Christian faith preach to condemn the sin, but love the sinner? Where is their so-called Christian compassion? Lindsay seems to have not let this affect her adversely. When asked if her castigation is unchristian, she said, “I don’t think it’s unchristian. I think this is politics as usual.”

Have these so-called Evangelical Christians forgotten the story of Mary Magdalene? This sinner, some sources suggest repentant prostitute, touched the cloak of Jesus and was overcome by the power of G-d. The Apostles were supposedly disgusted that such a sinner would touch their savior, but Jesus welcomed Mary Magdalene. She purportedly washed Jesus’ feet with her hair and became a devout follower of Jesus remaining with him beyond his crucifixion.

If Jesus accepted Mary Magdalene, and these so-called fervent followers of Jesus accept him as their savior, should they not accept Amy Lindsay into the fold as well? What would Jesus do, is a common question asked by Christians. Would Jesus have shunned Amy Lindsay? He accepted Mary Magdalene, not to mention the lepers he cured according to the Book of Luke.

Amy Lindsay is an actress who may actually vote for Ted Cruz. She could bring supporters into the fold for the Texas Senator. Cruz himself should order the advertisement be reinstated as part of the campaign. He should meet Lindsay to offer an apology because those who reject her for her prior works, which broke no laws, are pompous hypocrites. She has a right to work and she earned the part. The Republicans claim to be a big tent party. It’s time the GOP open all its flaps, welcome its supporters, and be humble while walking with G-d.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

More Hyphenated -isms from the Dems

“There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” – Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State in support of Hillary Clinton

More Hyphenated –isms from the Dems

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

February 8, 2016

Another Ronald Reagan “There you go again” moment where Democrat Party hypocrisy is concerned as former Secretary of State Madeline Albright pigeon-holed an entire gender and relegating many to the infernal Hades simply for making the choice of not supporting Hillary Clinton for president.

At a campaign event supporting female candidate Hillary Clinton – Albright started it – Albright said “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.”

Hmm. Is Clinton running to be president of the United States of Women or the United States of America? Are voters to be issued pink and blue ballots on Election Day so the women will vote for Clinton and the men will vote for Vermont Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders? Does Albright, who is really not all bright, want the campaign to be run based upon gender and not the issues? Perhaps she does, for that may be the only way Clinton would win.

Based upon Albright’s assertion, where was she before Saturday night’s Republican debate demanding that former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina be allowed to participate in that event? Why didn’t Albright cry sexism on ABC for excluding the woman who outpaced Governor Chris Christie and Governor John Kasich in Iowa just five days earlier? Where is Albright’s endorsement for Fiorina in the GOP primary? Right – women should only help other women if they are liberal, progressive, Socialist, or Democrats.

How much help did Clinton give the multitude of women claiming abuse and sexual assault by her husband while he was governor of Arkansas as well as the occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

“Shame on Madeline Albright and Hillary Clinton,” said Fiorina, citing the pandering, patronizing attitudes of these two women, assuming women voters are not able to think for themselves. I thought Democrats believed in choice.

Choice of candidate? Not according to Albright and Clinton. School choice? Nope – not Democrats. They must control the future electorate through the brainwashing of the failing public school system. Medical choice? Not there either – the government knows better as Obamacare dictates to the people there as well. Let’s not forget had Clinton had her way as First Lady Hillarycare would have been the law of the land long before the birth of the behemoth currently in place. The only choice Democrats embrace with any alacrity is the choice to murder their own babies.

And just how helpful to other women is Clinton, not just pro-choice, but a supporter of partial birth abortion and abortion on demand? Is it helpful to women to support the right to murder their unborn child? Women supporting abortion are not supporting the birth and life of the next generation of women.

Using Albright’s logic, all cranky white men should vote for Sanders. All Jewish voters should cast their ballots for Sanders. All Hispanics should split their votes for Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. All black voters should cast their ballots for Dr. Ben Carson. I guess pasty white guys should be voting for Governor Jeb Bush, Christie, or Kasich. How should black women vote Mrs. Albright? Should they vote with their gender and Clinton or with their race and Carson? Such the conundrum.

This is typical of the Democrats – segregate the people by their hyphenated backgrounds. I’m an American, not a hyphenated-American, and I vote for who I determine to be the most qualified candidate regardless of race, religion, or gender. What Albright bellowed for on the campaign trail with Clinton is nothing less than pure, unadulterated sexism. These are not the methods of the Republicans – the real party of the people – the American people.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Griffey, Jr., Hoffman Should Lead Hall Induction

“It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame – let’s play two!” – Ernie Banks

“Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical” – “Yogi” Berra

Griffey, Jr., Hoffman Should Lead Hall Induction

Sanford D. Horn

January 4, 2016

The year 2016 promises excitement from presidential politics to the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but with the Iowa Caucuses nearly a month away and bitter temperatures reminding us that the Olympics are more than half a year away, all eyes naturally turn toward – you guessed it – baseball! While pitchers and catchers don’t report for duty for about six weeks, there is some important baseball business needing immediate attention – the upcoming vote on who will earn entry into the Hall of Fame.

“Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” (http://baseballhall.org/hall-famers/rules-election/bbwaa) This is the standard by which the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) is to do their jobs.

The crux is character and integrity – neither of which was exhibited by Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, or Sammy Sosa, each accused of using steroids during their playing careers. These players’ bad behavior should not be rewarded. They only way they should be allowed into Cooperstown is with a paid ticket for admission. For as many years as these miscreants have been on the ballot, I remain steadfastly opposed to their entry, and will continue to be so in the future until their eligibility is exhausted and beyond.

Candidates are required to earn five percent of the vote in order to remain on the ballot for the next year. Should a few more voters shun Sosa, his 6.6 percent from 2015 could drop enough to bounce him from future consideration. More suckers would be needed to withhold votes from Clemens – 37.5 percent, Bonds – 36.8 percent, and McGwire – 10 percent to remove them from the ballot, if not from our collective memories.

Were I privileged with casting votes to determine the Class of 2016 into the Baseball Hall of Fame, five retired players would appear on my ballot – two freshman candidates, and three holdovers from last year.

Moving from the malevolent to the magnificent, Ken Griffey, Jr. spent 22 years patrolling major league outfields for the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox doing it right and avoiding the scent of scandal. Griffey should be a first ballot entrant in Cooperstown having slammed 630 home runs, currently sixth all time, and driving in 1,836 runs, placing him 15^th in that category. In a fascinating piece of, not just Mariners’ history, but baseball history, Griffey and his father, Ken Griffey, Sr., not only played on the same team, but on September 14, 1990 hit back-to-back home runs. This was the first father-son duo to accomplish this feat. And unlike the dopers cited above, Griffey played clean with popularity as an affable major leaguer.

Trevor Hoffman pitched his 18 years in the major leagues with the then Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Milwaukee Brewers racking up 601 saves while hurling mostly for mediocre teams where save opportunities were not as prevalent as for sure-fire Hall of Famer to be in 2019 Mariano Rivera. Known as a Padre the majority of his career, Hoffman represented the team as a six-time All Star, and one additional selection as a Brewer. The first pitcher to reach both the 500 and 600 save threshold, Hoffman was four times in the top 10 voting for the Cy Young award and five times received votes for MVP. In 1998 Hoffman converted 41 consecutive save opportunities – a record at the time.

Checking in with 270 career wins is three-time ballot occupant Mike Mussina, who spent 10 years with the Baltimore Orioles and eight with the New York Yankees. A big fan of “Moose,” an economics graduate from Stanford University as an Oriole, it hurt my eyes to see him donning the pinstripes. Mussina was selected to five All Star teams and won seven Gold Gloves. While he was overshadowed by Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz in 2015, Mussina garnered more victories than Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal – with whom Mussina was compared, and Whitey Ford. Mussina ended his career at age 39, the oldest to record his lone 20-win season, going 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA. While a jump from his 24.6 percent to the necessary 75 seems more than unlikely, Mussina remains on my ballot.

Because Mike Piazza played nearly eight of his 16-year career with the New York Mets, naturally he is a favorite. However, the 12-time all-star cracked 427 home runs, batted .308 and earned 10 Silver Slugger awards all while catching 1629 games – top flight numbers regardless of what team he played for. Piazza, the 1993 Rookie of the Year, spent the first six-plus years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a year each with the San Diego Padres and Oakland A’s as well as five minutes with the then Florida Marlins. Piazza’s place in Cooperstown is all but bronzed – is what I erroneously predicted the last three years, but I still believe he will be enshrined. Having mustered up 69.9 percent, the highest of the non-inductees from 2015, Piazza should earn his rightful place in Cooperstown in 2016.

Curt Schilling, bloody sock and all, is on my ballot. The six-time all-star pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues – three with the Orioles, one with the Astros, eight-plus with the Philadelphia Phillies, three-plus with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then calling it a career with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling tossed 83 complete games, appeared in three World Series, and had three 20-plus win seasons within a four year span at ages 36, 38, and 39. Schilling should have his ticket stamped this summer – was my mistaken prediction the last three years, and perhaps he may not be able to leap to 75 percent from his 39.2 percent from 2015, Schilling still belongs among those who will enter the Hall before him.

While it is important to not sully the Baseball Hall of Fame with the likes of Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, and Sosa, the focus must be on the greats who will be enshrined this July and how they will continue to be the true ambassadors to the community as so many before them have been. Ambassadors and class acts such as Ernie Banks and Yogi Berra, who sadly left us in 2015 – Banks at age 83, on January 23, 2015 and Berra at age 90, on September 22, 2015. May their memories always be for a Blessing.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He has been a Patron-level member of the Baseball Hall of Fame since 2007.