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Embracing MLB history

Who holds Major League Baseball’s record for the highest batting average in a single season? It’s not Ted Williams, with his .406 average in 1941, the last time anyone topped .400. It’s not Ty Cobb, with his stunning .420 average in 1911, or even Nap Lajoie, whose .426 average in 1901 generally shows up in the books as the record for players since 1900. Nor is it Hugh Duffy, whose .440 in 1894 is tops if you dip into the 19th century. It’s Josh Gibson, who hit .446 for the Homestead Grays in 1943. Gibson also holds the record for career batting average at .372. Generations ...

Samuel Alito’s responsibility

Congratulations to Chief Justice John Roberts, who responded to importuning Senators by letting Justice Samuel Alito respond for himself. Justice Alito’s reply on Wednesday: He has “an obligation to sit” on cases under the Supreme Court’s code of conduct. Sens. Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse, the bully boys of the Judiciary Committee, wrote the Chief Justice last week demanding a meeting and that Justice Alito recuse himself from hearing cases related to the 2020 election or Donald Trump. As the Senators know, the Court’s code stipulates that individual Justices make ...

Don’t leave pets in cars

It’s hot. And getting hotter. It’s way too hot to leave a pet alone in your car even for a few short minutes. Taking a pet on a car ride, whether it is a short drive to the store or a long trip, requires forethought and careful planning. According to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, the temperature inside a vehicle can rise almost 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. In 20 minutes, it can rise almost 30 degrees. At 60 minutes, the temperature in a vehicle can be more than 40 degrees higher than the outside temperature. So that means on a 70-degree day it could be 110 ...

Felon voting rights

Voting is not a privilege. It’s a right. But one group of citizens has been long denied that right in parts of the country. In half the states, including California, people convicted of felonies who have served their time in prison re-enter their communities with the right to vote automatically and immediately restored. In Vermont, Maine and the District of Columbia, people retain their right to vote even when incarcerated. But the other 25 states have at least some temporary voting restrictions on people formerly incarcerated on felony convictions. In 10 of those states, people ...

Out-of-state abortions

Two years after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, some states have moved to limit abortions while others become sanctuaries. The figures tell the story: In 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute, patients traveling across state lines accounted for 41% of abortions in Illinois, 69% in Kansas, and 71% in New Mexico. Each of those states borders tighter jurisdictions. The political fallout still isn’t clear, but a legal question now percolating is whether restrictive states can make it a crime to help a woman obtain an abortion elsewhere. Alabama Attorney General Steve ...

Felon voting rights

Voting is not a privilege. It’s a right. But one group of citizens has been long denied that right in parts of the country. In half the states, including California, people convicted of felonies who have served their time in prison re-enter their communities with the right to vote automatically and immediately restored. In Vermont, Maine and the District of Columbia, people retain their right to vote even when incarcerated. But the other 25 states have at least some temporary voting restrictions on people formerly incarcerated on felony convictions. In 10 of those states, people ...