Standards and Integrity

Last year, I wrote an article, “Gaffe in the Eye of the Beholder.” It was about the media’s coverage of the mistakes or gaffes Mr. Obama made during the presidential campaign. I compared Mr. Obama’s gaffes with the other candidates, and with President Bush’s gaffes. Mr. Bush made numerous gaffes during the presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004 and as president of the United States.

There was a gaffe that I wanted to use in my article. It was attributed to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Mr. Romney was alleged to have said, “Hamas is a great example of a faith based organization.” The joke being Mr. Romney did not know Hamas is a terrorist organization.

I searched the Internet for a reliable source confirming Mr. Romney made the statement. There were a couple of Blogs that corroborated the story, but I could not find a reliable source from the print media confirming the gaffe. I decided not to include the gaffe in the article.

There is a good chance the gaffe was created by the fertile mind of a late night comedian. Mr. Romney is prone to gaffes and misstatements, like when he said his father marched for civil rights in the 1960’s. That statement was proven false. But I did not want to include an apocryphal statement in my essay.

The same can be said of the alleged Sarah Palin gaffe in which she said Africa is a country. Comedians use that statement to demonstrate Ms Palin’s lack of intelligence, but the statement attributed to Ms Palin is also doubtful.

My Blog sites (MelvinReveron.blogspot.com and CheLenin.blogspot.com) are not widely read. My articles will not be quoted in the Main Stream Media. But I have standards. I may not have hundreds of readers, but I still have to respect the process. I will not use a quote out of context. I will credit my source of information in the endnotes.

Unfortunately, Fox News does not have the same standards.

President Obama delivered an address to a joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009 to persuade Congress and Americans on the need for health care reform

Fox News commentator Sean Hannity analyzed the speech with Republican pollster Frank Luntz. Mr. Hannity was appalled with a statement from President Obama.

“One of the things, Frank, you have been very, very clear about… is this tendency to go negative,” Mr. Hannity said. “And he had a very different tone on Monday, but when he said tonight that insurance executives are bad people, it took me back because it was so harsh, and I think unfair, but it’s part of their polling.”[i]

Mr. Hannity should be given partial credit for showing the portion of the speech he was arguing against. The video clip proved Mr. Hannity distorted the President’s statement.

President Obama said, “Insurance executives don’t do this because they’re bad people; they do it because it’s profitable.”[ii]

Mr. Hannity created a story by claiming President Obama said, “insurance executives are bad people.”

The distortion was deliberate. Most Fox viewers will not watch a speech delivered by President Obama. The only source Fox viewers will count on for information about President Obama will be from Fox commentators.

Fox News is not a news channel. Fox News does not report news. It creates news.

Fox News is an entertainment channel. Their job is not to inform the public. Their job is to entertain their viewers - Republican, conservative, Christian, and white.

Their demographic base would not support the policies of any politician from the Democratic Party; therefore they indulge their viewers with stories that are false and with conspiracy theories. Fox News practically sponsor protest movements against President Obama.

The Hannity distortion is not the only incident of Fox creating news. Last year, Mr. Obama gave a fist bump to his wife before a speech. On June 6, 2008, Fox News TV host E.D. Hill said, “A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently.”[iii]

This “gesture” that athletes perform every day suddenly became a terrorist secret handshake. The only people who will interpret the gesture differently will be Fox viewers who will now associate the fist bump with terrorism.

Fox commentators will accuse President Obama of being a fascist/socialist/Marxist/Leninist not knowing fascism and socialism occupy opposite sides of the political spectrum.

President Obama’s birth certificate is an issue on Fox News. Conspiracy theorists who argue President Obama was really born in Kenya have a platform to vent. Other media are forced to cover the story because of Fox News’ relentless coverage.

According to Fox News, Health Care reform is a socialist plot to nationalize health care, create death panels to kill of seniors and unproductive citizens, and grant illegal immigrants access to universal health care at the expense of American citizens.

According to Fox News, President Obama speaking to children on the first day of school is a nefarious plot to indoctrinate children with socialist ideology.

Now it is patriotic to dissent against a sitting president, who received 53% of the vote, but it was unpatriotic to question President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq.

In fact, Fox News commentator Glen Beck is virtually cheerleading an armed insurrection against the federal government.

Glen Beck also perpetuates the lie that President Obama wants to abduct Americans, and force them into FEMA concentration camps for socialist indoctrination.

In college, a philosophy professor lectured the class about the First Amendment right to free speech. He argued there is a difference in having a right to express an opinion versus the right to express an intellectually sound opinion.

For example, I have the right to express the opinion that the world is flat. The government cannot interfere with me if I decide to post, “the world is flat,” on my Blog site. But I should be able to support my opinion with facts.

The purpose of the First Amendment is persuade, not simply to express. The government is not allowed to suppress persuasive speech. I have the right to say something stupid. The government will not try to stop me from saying stupid because it is unnecessary.

But the government cannot suppress my right to say health care reform is bad because it is too expensive, and President Obama has not been able to clearly explain how he intends to pay for the program.

By the way, this is a legitimate conservative argument against President Obama’s health care reform package, but you will not hear this argument in the Main Stream Media because it is not as controversial as death panels and covering illegal aliens.

Freedom of the press should have the same intellectual standards. The government cannot suppress my right to publish an article stating the moon landing in 1969 was filmed in a Hollywood studio. It is a conspiracy theory, but it is not based on fact; therefore the federal government would have no interest in suppressing this article.

But the government cannot suppress my right to publish an article arguing for withdrawing troops from Iraq because I am trying to persuade other people that it is in our economic interests to leave Iraq. We cannot afford to continue occupying a foreign country, especially when Iraqis want our troops to leave.

The goal of Fox News is not to inform or to persuade. It is to entertain their viewers. Fox News has the constitutional right to broadcast news, but it does not have the intellectual right to call it news.

I will not publish false statements or distortions on my Blog because I have standards and integrity and I respect freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Fox News cannot make that claim.


[i] Media Matters for America, “Hannity Falsely Claimed Obama Called Insurance Execs Bad People,” September 10, 2009.
[ii] Media Matters for America, “Hannity Falsely Claimed Obama Called Insurance Execs Bad People,” September 10, 2009.
[iii] Media Matters for America, “Fox E.D. Hill Teased Discussion of Obama Dap: A Fist Bump? A Pound? A Terrorist Fist Jab?” June 6, 2008.

Failure to Communicate

President Obama will address a joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009 to speak about health care reform.

It is the hardest and strangest argument to make in American politics, to convince Americans that a health care system in which a person can select their own doctor, make a modest co-payment, and have the federal government pay the balance of the medical bill is worst than the current system that leaves millions uninsured, discriminates against people with preexisting medical conditions, and results in millions more of Americans facing bankruptcy.

At a Florida town hall meeting, a woman said, “I am a single uninsured mother of an uninsured child, yet still do not want the government involved in my health care.”[i]

Protesters have disrupted congressional town hall meetings with false arguments, disgracing our democracy.

Yet President Obama has failed to convince Americans that reforming health care is necessary.

It is not entirely the President’s fault. Republicans are refusing to cooperate with the Democratic President.

The Main Stream Media (MSM) has focused on congressional town hall meetings that are being disrupted by angry citizens.

Republicans, conservatives and the MSM have colluded to distort provisions in the health care reform bill.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin commented on her Facebook page that President Obama’s health care bill would create a Death Panel that would essentially decide who is worthy of health care. Senior citizens, the infirmed, the disabled, and her youngest child would be denied coverage because they are not productive citizens.

Ms Palin was referring to a provision in the health care bill that would pay for consultations with doctors over end of life medical procedures.

A patient and a doctor discuss what types of treatment the patient will permit in the event of incapacitation, to prevent family members from trying to guess what the patient really would have wanted. The consultation would also prevent family members from making the difficult decision of when to end treatment.

Ms Palin, the Republicans, and the MSM refuse to acknowledge that the United States already has death panels. They are called HMO’s. Health insurance companies make decisions on who lives and who dies, not based on a productivity formula, but on the impact on the company’s profits. If medical treatment costs too much, then there is a good possibility insurance companies will not pay. In our current health care system, inability to pay is enough to deny medical treatment.

We have an exclusive health care system. It excludes people without money from medical treatment.

Liberals, progressives, socialists, communists, Martians, Vulcans, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon want to create an inclusive health care system, a system that will cover every American man, woman and child, regardless of their ability to pay.

The President has failed to convince Americans that an inclusive health care system is better than an exclusive health care system.

To borrow a quote from a movie, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate…

“Some men you just can’t reach.” The President insists on working with Republicans even though it is obvious Republicans are not interested in health care reform. “Which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it.”[ii]

The President’s failure to communicate is due to his administration’s failure to follow some basic public policy rules.

First rule in public policy, define the problem.

President Obama correctly argues that there are 48 million uninsured Americans. HMO’s drop sick people from their coverage. Individuals with preexisting medical conditions are denied health insurance. Americans cannot afford to pay their medical bills.

Stories help. A master communicator like President Obama could use stories from ordinary Americans who have had problems with HMO’s, or did not have health insurance.

The President included stories of ordinary Americans in his August 16, 2009 Op-Ed article published in the New York Times.

A self-employed woman cannot get health insurance because she has Hepatitis C.[iii]

Another woman cannot get health insurance because of injuries she sustained in an accident when she was five years old.[iv]

“A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance company discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn’t known about when he applied for his policy. Because his treatment was delayed, he died.”[v]

President Obama could use a high profile incident to justify the need for health care reform.

Heather Sherba was one of the twelve innocent victims who were shot by a deranged gunman at the LA Fitness in Collier Township in Pennsylvania. She is 22 years old. Ms Sherba’s age disqualifies her from her parents health insurance plan. She is unemployed, and cannot afford to buy health insurance on her own. Ms Sherba will probably not be able to obtain health insurance because she has a preexisting medical condition – a gunshot wound in her right leg.[vi]

If Ms Sherba gets married, her husband’s health insurance company could deny medical coverage for his wife because she has a preexisting condition.

Ms Sherba’s family and friends tried to raise money to pay her medical expenses by washing cars. They were able to raise about $500.00.

Ordinary citizens forced to wash cars to pay medical bills shames our country.

Ms Sherba had the unfortunate luck of getting shot in a gym by a total stranger, and is probably carrying a five figure hospital bill she cannot afford to pay. She was the victim of a random act of violence. That random act of violence left Ms Sherba uninsurable.

Health care reform is personal for two reasons. First, I am an asthmatic, but I have not had an asthma attack since 1984. I make an effort to take care of myself, but what would prevent my health insurance from dropping me if get a life threatening disease?

Second, my father was afflicted with a medical condition in the mid 90’s. He does not like hospitals. He tried to tough out the medical condition, but it was painful, and one night the pain was too great to endure. My sister took him to a private hospital. He was examined. The doctors determined he needed surgery. He was being prepared for surgery when my sister was asked to produce his health insurance card. She informed the hospital official that he did not have insurance. Surgery was cancelled. My father was given a list of over the counter pills he could purchase at a GNC. The pills would reduce the pain.

But the pain did not go away. My father was a member of a union, but he had no health insurance through his employer or the union.

Some time later, my father went to a municipal hospital. Municipal hospitals cannot refuse a patient without health insurance. He underwent surgery, but the doctors discovered one of his kidneys was severely infected during the operation. After the operation, the doctors tried to save the kidney, but the damage was too great.

My father is Spanish dominant. He asked me to be with him at the hospital, to talk to the doctors, and get some answers. The doctor informed me that the infected kidney would have to be removed.

I did not have the heart to tell my father that he lost a kidney, so I lied to him. I told him the doctors were going to open him up again to get a better look, and if the kidney could be saved, then it would. Otherwise, the doctors would have to remove the infected kidney.

My father was in the hospital for one month. He underwent two surgeries. If not for Medicaid, the hospital bill would have bankrupted our entire family.

My father should not be have been denied medical care because he did not have the ability to pay a medical bill.

The President should have also argued companies cannot afford to pay health insurance for their employees.

Small companies cannot grow because of the rising cost of insuring their employees.

The President’s argument would be stronger if he framed the argument as a civil rights issue, instead of a financial issue.

It is wrong to discriminate and deny health insurance against individuals with preexisting medical conditions.

It is wrong to discriminate and deny health coverage to individuals based on their inability to pay.

Second rule of public policy; propose a solution to the defined problem.

President Obama did not offer a specific set of solutions. He wanted Congress to participate in the process of reforming health care. Congress had the latitude to create a bill, but the President wanted a public option in the health care bill. The public option would compete with health insurance companies. The public option would also give access to health insurance to uninsured and uninsurable Americans.

President Obama’s failure is more pronounced in this phase of public policy because the solution became fragmented when he granted Congress the latitude to create its own health care reform bill.

Liberals argued for a single payer system. Conservatives argued for a market based solution. More competition will reduce the costs of obtaining health care insurance.

The American fringe element argued nationalizing health care would release the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The urgency to pass health care reform was lost when President Obama handed the responsibility to Congress. The President should have offered a concrete solution to a specific problem to a nation that collectively suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder.

In the absence of a single payer, Medicare for every American health care system, President Obama should have instructed Congress to create a hybrid health care system.

The hybrid system would consist of private health insurance companies, and a public health insurance option. Anyone who is happy and confident with their medical insurance can continue to pay for the service.

But public health insurance is necessary for those Americans who cannot afford health insurance, are denied health insurance because of a preexisting medical condition, or their employers do not offer health insurance. The public option is a safety net to insure Americans have access to health care.

Third rule of public policy; how to pay for health care program.

The method of paying for President Obama’s health care reform bill is vague. He argues that two-thirds of the money will come from savings from modernizing medical records, more cost efficient procedures, and savings from other programs. The other one-third will come from increasing taxes on individuals who earn more than $250,000.00 per year.

I understand the raising taxes part, but I have trouble understanding where the two-thirds part will come from. Americans are correct to be skeptical about funding a program, as large as health care reform, from nebulous revenue sources. Accounting tricks rarely work.

Paying for health care reform requires ingenuity, an independent revenue source.

There are approximately 305 million people in the United States. Americans spend money. We buy take-out food, books, magazines, clothes, office supplies, computers, video games, groceries, flat screen TV’s, cars, houses, etc. We go to the movies, sporting events, amusement parks, and casinos.

In 2007, 56 million tourists visited the United States. Tourists also spend money; mostly on stuff Americans don’t buy.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States was approximately $14 trillion in 2008. Suppose 10 cents on any item purchased in the United States is reserved in a health care fund.

The ten-cent surcharge would be a flat fee. If I spend $7,000 on a used car, ten-cents goes into the national health insurance fund.

If I buy a hotdog and a beer at a baseball game, ten-cents from the beer and hotdog combo, and ten-cents from the ticket to the baseball game goes to the national health insurance fund.

If I go to the supermarket, and spend $60.00 on groceries, ten-cents goes into the national health insurance fund.

Medical treatment will not be free. Americans will continue to make $10 or $20 co-payments when they go to the doctor, and when they get a prescription filled at a pharmacy.

In addition, working Americans will continue to fund the national insurance fund through the Medicare taxes withheld from their paychecks.

The national health care fund will be continually replenished as long as Americans and tourists continue to spend money.

This alternate revenue stream could fund a universal Medicare program.

With these public policy rules, the problem was clearly identified, a reasoned solution is proposed, and a method to fund the program was offered.

Conservatives argue a single payer system is socialist, fascist, and tyrannical.

In his speech on Wednesday, President Obama should argue for health care reform by borrowing from one of President Roosevelt’s famous “Four Freedoms” speech. Two of the freedoms apply to the health care debate: Freedom from want. Freedom from fear.

Health care reform is founded on two essential freedoms. Freedom from want. Americans should not be deprived of medical care.

Freedom from fear. Americans should not be afraid of getting sick. Americans should not fear crushing debt resulting from an illness.

Americans should not dread receiving a letter from their health insurance indicating a medical bill will not be paid.

Parents should not be afraid of the financial consequences of a sick child.

Medicare for all is liberating, not tyrannical. Americans should live in the comfort of knowing that their country will be there for them when they are sick and vulnerable, when Americans need help the most.

And remember, the people arguing against national health insurance have health insurance.


[i] Michael McAuliff, “Fear and Loathing, Not Always Facts Fuel Health Care Forums in Florida and Country: Undercover Report,” New York Daily News, August 31, 2009.
[ii] Cool Hand Luke, 1967.
[iii] Barack Obama, “Why We Need Health Care Reform,” New York Times, August 16, 2009.
[iv] Barack Obama, “Why We Need Health Care Reform,” New York Times, August 16, 2009.
[v] Barack Obama, “Why We Need Health Care Reform,” New York Times, August 16, 2009.
[vi] Rachel Maddow Show, September 2, 2009.

What A Mets

Citifield was supposed to symbolize a bright new era in New York Mets history, but the future is as murky and dreary as the 2009 baseball season. Promise interrupted by bad luck.

Last Saturday, David Wright was struck in the head by a 94 MPH fastball delivered by San Francisco Giant pitcher Matt Cain. Wright landed on the 15-day disabled list. He was diagnosed with a concussion.

Wright joins a lengthy list of Met players on the disabled list, but he was the last of the four core players to succumb to injury – joining shortstop Jose Reyes, centerfielder Carlos Beltran, and first baseman Carlos Delgado.

Injuries are a part of the game is a cliché often recited, but a baseball team cannot overcome the loss of their leadoff, third, fourth and fifth place hitters.

The Mets lacked the depth to overcome these injuries because of a weak farm system, and the general baseball trend of stacking the roster with 13 pitchers at the expense of quality backup position players.

The latest injury insured the New York Mets will not play meaningful games in September. Their window to win a championship with these core players has officially closed.

Sadly, the Mets appear to have peaked in 2006 when they won 97 games, lost 65, and lost game 7 of the National League championship series (NLCS) to the St Louis Cardinals.

The Mets decent started in 2007 when they blew a seven game lead with 17 games left to play, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to win the division.

Willie Randolph was the manager in 2007. He was fired in mid season in 2008 because the Mets were not performing to expectations.

In 2008, the Mets had a 3.5 game lead over the Phillies, but the Mets lost 10 out of the last 17 games they played – including the last game of the season, the last game ever played at Shea Stadium.

Ownership will have to decide if General Manager Omar Minaya will be entrusted with rebuilding the franchise. Mr. Minaya was given a three-year contract extension worth $1.1 per year at the end of the 2008 season. The contract expires in 2012.

I will not rehash points made in an earlier essay (Class Dismissed) blaming Mr. Minaya for the state of the Mets team. Most of his personnel decisions, free agent signings, trades and players drafted were failures. He put this team together, and he should be held responsible for the Mets failure to reach the post season.

Sources in the Mets organization indicate assistant General Manager John Ricco will replace Mr. Minaya after the season.[i]

The next general manager will have the opportunity of rebuilding a franchise that is in trouble.

The Mets are in transition. Fortunately, the Mets have $41.35 million in expiring contracts. Theoretically, they should be able to restock the team with quality players.

The contracts for first baseman Carlos Delgado, catcher Brian Schneider, shortstop Alex Cora, utility man Fernando Tatis, leftfielder Gary Sheffield, and relief pitchers J.J. Putz and Billy Wagner will expire at the end of the 2009 season.

But the Mets are operating in an national economy in the midst of a recession. Furthermore, the owners lost millions of dollars in the Bernie Madoff ponzi scam. The Wilpons have not disclosed how much money they lost. The Mets may not have enough money to restock the franchise.

The Mets will need a catcher next season. Omir Santos is a career minor leaguer who is having a decent year, but he is strictly a backup catcher. The Mets will have to obtain or sign a full time catcher.

Ivan Rodriguez (38) should be considered. He will be a free agent after the 2009 season He is still a productive offensive player, and would be a defensive improvement over Schneider.

Josh Bard (32), Jason Kendall (36) and Bengie Molina (35) are three other aging free agents catchers the Mets can consider signing, but eventually the Mets will have to develop their own catchers.

First baseman Carlos Delgado is the power threat in the Mets lineup. He is 37 years old and is recovering from hip surgery earlier this year. The Mets should not resign Carlos Delgado. Finding a comparable player in the free agent market will be difficult.

First basemen Russell Branyan (34), Nick Johnson (31) and Adam LaRoche (30) will be free agents after the 2009 season. Branyan is a home run threat, but he strikes out often. Johnson is a solid fielder with a high on base percentage, but Johnson is injury prone. The Atlanta Braves obtained LaRoche in a trade in July. The Braves may decide to keep LaRoche.

Daniel Murphy is currently playing first base. He could audition for the full time role next year, but the Mets should buy him a first baseman’s glove. It might help his fielding.

The Mets cannot upgrade the second base position because Luis Castillo signed a four-year $25 million contract in 2007. To trade Castillo, the Mets will need to find a team that needs a second baseman, and can afford Castillo’s salary.

The Mets are set at third base with David Wright. He is the cornerstone of the franchise. Hopefully, he will make a full recovery from his injury, but Wright has hit fewer home runs in 2009. Citifield’s spacious dimensions have impacted Wright’s power.

Once upon a time, Reyes was argued to be a better baseball player than the Yankees Derek Jeter – mostly by deluded Mets fans. He was more dynamic, and appeared to have unlimited potential. The Mets will have to decide if Jose Reyes is worth the aggravation.

The leg injuries that plagued him earlier in his career have resurfaced. He has played in only 36 games in 2009.

Reyes often sulked during Willie Randolph’s tenure as manager. He disappeared in September 2007 and September 2008. His exuberance often angers opposing teams.

Florida shortstop Hanely Ramirez is debatably having the career Jose Reyes should be having.

The Mets can obtain multiple prospects for Reyes, but they would need two players to replace Reyes – a shortstop and a leadoff hitter. It will be difficult finding one player who can fulfill both roles.

Alex Cora and Fernando Tatis are utility players. Tatis could be resigned, but he is strictly a backup. The Mets should not count on Tatis duplicating his 2008 statistics. The Mets have enough middle infielders in the minor leagues to replace Alex Cora.

The Mets do not have a left fielder. Last year, they were counting on 41-year-old Moises Alou to bat fifth in the lineup, and provide protection for Carlos Delgado. He appeared in only 15 games.

Daniel Murphy was selected to play left field, but the career infielder proved to be inept in the outfield.

Gary Sheffield is the current left fielder. He is 41 years old, and is injury prone. Ideally, he is a designated hitter. Recently, Sheffield asked for a contract extension, but was informed by Mets management that he was not in their plans for the future, thus angering Sheffield for the twentieth time in his career.

Leftfielders Jason Bay (31), Matt Holliday (30) and Manny Ramirez (38) will be free agents.

Matt Holliday is a Scott Boras client. Boras has the tendency to use large market teams as leverage to meet the salary demands of his clients. The Mets probably will avoid a bidding war.

The Boston Red Sox will probably resign Jason Bay. The Red Sox are happy with his production, and have the resources to resign Bay.

Manny Ramirez is also represented by Scott Boras. Ramirez opted out of a multi million-dollar contract hoping to score a four-year contract at $25 million per year. He is another baseball player the Mets cannot afford.

Carl Crawford (28) could become a free agent if Tampa Bay decides they cannot afford him. Crawford would be the prize of the free agent market. If he becomes a free agent, then the Mets should make every effort to sign him. He would strengthen the Mets offensively and defensively. He can hit first or second. He is an all-star player who he can hit for average, steal bases, and score runs.

Imagine Crawford hitting after Reyes and before Beltran with Wright hitting fourth. This team will not have a problem scoring runs.

Fernando Martinez is one of the few prized jewels in the Mets farm system, but he appeared overmatched this season. He played in 29 games before getting hurt. His batting average was .176. He is 21 years old. He may need at least one more full season in the minors.

Centerfielder Carlos Beltran will be entering the sixth year of the seven-year contract he signed in 2005. He will be 33 years old next season. He will be a free agent after the 2011 season. Scott Boras is Beltran’s agent, therefore it is unlikely Beltran will sign an contract extension with the Mets. Beltran will reenter the free agent market after his contract expires.

If the Mets are willing to make the financial commitment to sign free agents in the off-season, then the Mets should keep Beltran.

But if the Mets do not have the financial resources to restock the franchise, then the Mets should consider trading Beltran for prospects. However, Beltran’s contract will limit the number of teams that could afford his salary.

Jeff Francoeur was obtained in a trade with the Atlanta Braves for Ryan Church. Barring another trade, Francoeur will be the Mets starting right fielder in 2010.

The Mets strength will be the starting pitchers. The dimensions of Citifield appear to favor the pitchers. They have some depth with Johan Santana, John Maine, Mike Pelfry, rookie Jonathon Niese, Fernando Nieve, Oliver Perez.

Perez could be a commodity on the trade market, but he is erratic and inconsistent. His trade value is low.

If Maine, Niese and Nieve recover from their injuries, then the Mets could have a solid starting rotation.

The Mets are set at the closer position with Francisco Rodriguez. Most of the other relief pitchers are under contract for 2010.

The Mets have positions to fill, but have a barren farm system incapable of restocking the franchise. The Mets are a large market team, but may not have the financial resources to sign free agents.

The Mets cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the recent past, poor choices in the draft, signing aging free agents, and depending on players with histories of injuries.

Because it will be a shame to waste such a beautiful new ballpark on an aging, tired and unsuccessful baseball team.


[i] Adam Rubin, “Mets Have A Plan Post-Omar,” New York Daily News, August 11, 2009.

Lost in the Euphoria

The New York Yankees are in first place of the Eastern Division, with a 6.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees were able to pad their lead after sweeping the Red Sox in a recent four game series at the new Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees also have the best record in baseball with a record of 73 wins and 43 losses. They are on a pace to win 102 games.

The Yankees lead the Major Leagues with 649 runs scored, 179 home runs, and are second in team batting average with .278.

Pundits have declared the Yankees are the best team in baseball. Fans are optimistic the Yankees will win their first World Series title since 2000.

But this is the age of parity. Success, even during the course of a 162 game season, can be a mirage. The Yankees have been able to hide their deficiencies this season. They should be credited with successfully navigating the season through 116 games, but they have weaknesses that could be exposed in a short series.

This Yankee team is not the same as the juggernaut team of 1998. This edition can score runs, and have the potential to out pitch their opponents, but the 2009 Yankees lack the depth of previous championship teams.

First, this team has not been able to find a consistent fifth place hitter in their lineup. Hideki Matsui has settled in the fifth spot. He’s hit 19 home runs and driven in 58 runs, but is only hitting .266. A championship team needs a fifth place hitter with a higher batting average than .260. Otherwise, pitching staffs will pitch around the fourth place hitter – Alex Rodriguez.

Alex Rodriguez is still recovering from hip surgery earlier this year. Rodriguez has hit 21 home runs, and driven in 63 runs, an adequate number based on the number of at bats in an abbreviated season, but he is hitting .257.

He is still trying to recover from the hip surgery, and needs occasional rest, but he is not as productive as in previous seasons.

This lineup has holes besides Rodriguez hitting .257 and Matsui hitting .266. The Yankees only have two players hitting over .300 – Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. The eighth place hitter, Nick Swisher, is batting .244.

Playoff teams, with better pitching staffs, could shut down a team without a productive fourth and fifth hitters in the lineup. And it would be difficult to sustain rallies and score runs from the bottom of the lineup with an eighth place hitter batting less than .250.

The Yankees cannot expect to win a championship solely on their ability to exploit the cozy right field dimensions of the new stadium by hitting lazy fly balls over the wall.

Hitting is not the only weakness opponents have not exploited. The pitching staff is unsettled.

Sergio Mitre is the current fifth starter. He has a 7.04 earned run average (ERA). He is not expected to participate or contribute in the post season.

Joba Chamberlain, the fourth starter, is limited to 150 innings this year. He has already pitched 121 innings. Chamberlain has about four starts left this year, assuming he pitches at least 6 innings. He will not be available to start games in September. The Yankees will need another fourth starter after Chamberlain reaches 150 innings.

Phil Hughes is the other prized jewel of the farm system, but he is currently pitching one inning in relief. The Yankees will not risk Hughes to an arm injury by transitioning him back into the starting rotation.

The Yankees have started collecting pitchers from other organizations to fill the void. First to audition is Chad Gaudin, formally of the San Diego Padres. He was obtained in a trade in August. He started 19 games with the Padres. He won 4 games, lost 10, and has a 5.13 ERA.

If Gaudin does not succeed, then the Yankees will resort to Russ Ortiz. The Houston Astros released Ortiz in August. He won 3 games, lost 6 games, and had a 5.57 ERA. He last pitched in 2007. He missed the 2008 after suffering an arm injury that led to Tommy John surgery. He signed a minor league contract with the Astros in January 2009.

If Gaudin and Ortiz fail, then the Yankees will turn to Josh Towers, another pitching retread. He is currently pitching with the AAA affiliate. He last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2007.

In his career, Towers won 45 games, lost 55, and has a 4.96 ERA. He pitched for the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays. He signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals in 2009, but was released in May 5, 2009.

Josh Towers could not get out of the minor leagues and pitch for the worst team in baseball. This is pitching prospect number three for the fourth spot in the Yankee rotation after Chamberlain reaches 150 innings pitched.

The Yankees mismanaged Joba Chamberlain. They knew he was only going to pitch 150 innings. The smart thing to do was have Chamberlain start the season in May, and pitch through the year, instead of potentially interrupting his season in September, then restarting him in October.

If the Yankees reach the post season without Chamberlain pitching meaningful games in September, then they run the risk of using a rusty starting pitcher in October.

The Yankees will need four solid starters to navigate through the post season. Three pitchers are not enough.

The Yankee starting pitching staff is not deep enough to maneuver through the playoffs. They have a solid number one starter in CC Sabathia, but he has not succeeded in the playoffs in the past. His post season ERA is 7.92.

A.J. Burnett is the number two starter on the staff, but he has never pitched in the post season.

Andy Pettitte is the number three starter. He is considered a big game pitcher, having compiled a record of 14 wins, 9 losses, with a 3.96 ERA.

Pettitte is the only starter with an impressive post-season resume, and he is 37 years old.

And lurking in the shadows are two potential problems. The Angels are leading the Western Division. The Angels have eliminated the Yankees from the post-season in 2002 and 2005. Also, the Angels the only team to post a winning record against the Yankees during the Joe Torre era.

The Red Sox are currently leading the Wild Card race. They are no longer playoff patsies, having won the World Series in 2004 and 2007. The Yankees have lost 8 out of 12 games with the Red Sox, so far, this season.

The path to a World Series championship is not as clear as the Yankees record would indicate. There are no super teams anymore. In the age of parity, any team can win a championship.

Pundits and fans should not get carried away with the Yankees success. The playoffs can be a humbling experience.

Harry Potter: Lost in Translation

Books rarely translate well into movies. Plot details are sacrificed during the script writing process. Plot details, nuances and subtleties are lost because a book has to be condensed into two hours.

It was hard to watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I am unable to clearly judge the film on the merits because I kept comparing the film to the book.

The plots in the Harry Potter book series develop during the course of a school year. The author, J.K. Rowling, carefully crafts the series with plot nuances that are lost in the movies – The Half Blood Prince being the most egregious example.

In the book, Harry Potter suspects Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater, and he is involved in a nefarious plan. Harry follows Draco, trying to gather more information. Draco manages to elude Harry throughout the book – until its too late.

The book opens humorously with the British Prime Minister being briefed on recent suspicious events by Cornelius Fudge – who also introduces the new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour.

This sequence is not in the movie, but it is understandable because it is not essential to the movie plot.

The first scenes of the other Harry Potter movies started in the home of his uncle Vernon Dursley, aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley. The Dursley’s are in chapter three of the book, but were absent in the film.

The Dursley’s were not the only characters from the book that were absent in the film. The house elves Kreacher and Dooby, Percy Weasley, Bill Weasley and his fiancé Fleur Delacour, Ministers of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour and Cornelius Fudge were not in the film.

The house elves play an important role in the book. Harry Potter was not able to track Malfoy. Harry ordered the house elves to follow Draco Malfoy and report his movements.

Hagrid, an integral character in previous Harry Potter films, is virtually reduced to a cameo appearance.

The six Harry Potter films share a common fault – the underdeveloped character of Professor Severus Snape. Snape has more screen time and dialogue in the Half Blood Prince, but the character is very important to the development of the series. Alan Rickman’s talents have been squandered – so far.

Neville Longbottom is another underdeveloped movie character that plays an important role in the series finale.

A new character is introduced – retired potions Professor Horace Slughorn. Professor Dumbledore uses Harry Potter as bait to lure Professor Slughorn out of retirement.

Professor Slughorn’s vanity induces him to latch on to students who are from famous families, and students he believes will be famous. Harry Potter is already famous. As an infant, he survived an attack by Lord Voldemort. As a teenager, he is proclaimed the Chosen One – the wizard who could defeat Lord Voldemort.

In the book, Harry Potter tries to avoid Professor Slughorn. Professor Slughorn invites his favorite students to dinner parties. He invites Harry to the dinner parties, but Harry successfully avoids attending. He has no interest in becoming the most prized student trophy in Professor Slughorn’s collection.

In the film, Harry Potter tries to ingratiate himself to Professor Slughorn because he needs to retrieve a memory from the professor.

In the book, Professor Dumbledore retrieves several memories involving Tom Riddle’s lineage, childhood, and academic life at Hogwarts. These memories expose the dark side of Tom Riddle.

The movie makes two trips into Tom Riddles past, and one of the memories was tampered. Dumbledore assigned Harry the task of retrieving the tampered memory.

It was a mistake not to include the memory sequences from the book in the movie because it provided background information on Tom Riddle.

Tom Riddle is evil. He manipulates the egos of some, like Professor Slughorn, and the memories of others, like his uncle Morfin Gaunt. He is a murderer. Others are punished for his crimes.

You do not get a sense of how evil Tom Riddle really is in the movie. You almost have to take Professor Dumbledore, et al, at their word that Lord Voldemort is evil.

Character development needs points of reference in order to properly relate to the character.

The movie added a new detail to the plot. Lord Voldemort’s followers destroy the home of the Weasley’s. Destroying a house may seem inconsequential, but the Weasley’s home plays an important role in the first chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Forget the magic, the witches and wizards, the potions and the spells. The books are really about navigating adolescence, making and maintaining friendships, discovering the opposite sex, attending a boarding school, and avoiding pitfalls. Magic adds flavor to the narrative.

Some of my favorite passages of the books involve the relationships between Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I enjoy these sequences because I can relate to them.

We can relate to Ron because as boys we all knew a girl who was a close friend, but we were too dense to understand how much we cared about the girl, were too embarrassed to admit to ourselves that we cared about the girl, or simply took the girl for granted.

We can understand Hermione’s frustration at Ron because she cares about him, but he does not recognize her feelings.

We can relate to Harry who is caught in the middle of a cold war between Ron and Hermione – after Ron gets a girlfriend to the dismay of Hermione.

In the book, Ron gets into a serious argument with his younger sister Ginny after he catches her kissing a boy. She makes fun of Ron because he never kissed a girl. Later on, Ron is kissing Lavender Brown in public – saddening Hermione.

Harry cannot spend time with his two best friends, together, because Ron is oblivious of Hermione’s feelings, and Hermione is jealous. The movie does not capture that tension.

The friendship between Harry and Hermione is further strained because Harry is using the handwritten notes in his used potions book to outperform Hermione in class.

The Half Blood Prince was the previous owner the book. Hermione warns Harry not to depend on the book. The previous owner is virtually anonymous. Harry ignores Hermione.

Hermione is used to getting the top grades in all her classes, but she is angry with Harry because she considers using the handwritten notes in the potions book as cheating.

I was looking forward to the movie version because I hoped a particular scene from the book would be included. Sadly it wasn’t.

Lavender has a pet name for Ron – Won-Won. It annoys Harry and Hermione.

Harry was talking to Hermione, trying to figure out when he can approach Professor Slughorn to get the memory Dumbledore needs. He tells Hermione that Ron suggested he wait until after potions class.

Hermione snapped. “Oh, well, if Won-Won thinks that, you’d better do it… After all, when has Won-Won’s judgment ever been faulty?”

That line of dialogue captures the dramatic tension between Harry, Ron and Hermione. She’s questioning Ron’s plan, Harry’s trust in Ron’s plan, and Ron’s judgment. If Ron can’t figure out Hermione loves him, then how can you trust his judgment?

Another detail that was added to the movie was Ginny and Harry’s first kiss in the Room of Requirement. They were in the room alone trying to hide Harry’s potion book.

In the book, Harry and Ginny kiss after a Quidditch match. Furthermore, Harry hides the potions book in the Requirement Room after Professor Snape orders Harry to produce the book. Harry had just cast a spell on another student, and the spell arouses Snape’s suspicions.

The climactic scene of the Half Blood Prince is Dumbledore’s death. The movie and the book differed.

In the book, Professor Dumbledore and Harry returned to Hogwarts after retrieving a mysterious locket. The mark of the Death Eaters is hovering over Hogwarts – meaning someone was killed.

Professor Dumbledore orders Harry to get Professor Snape. He is wearing his Invisibility Cloak to avoid detection. Suddenly, Harry is frozen. Draco Malfoy enters. Professor Dumbledore and Draco exchange words.

Meanwhile, a battle between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix erupted below.

Professor Snape arrives, and kills Professor Dumbledore. The Death Eaters witness the event, then fight their way out of Hogwarts.

In the movie, the Death Eaters arrive and leave Hogwarts uncontested. Harry chases Snape, Malfoy and the Death Eaters out of Hogwarts by himself.

Finally, the movie does not include Dumbledore’s funeral.

The Harry Potter series was a unique challenge to film. The movies based on the earlier books were made before J.K. Rowling completed the book series.

Incidents that were minor, characters that did not seem important were not included in the film series. Professor Snape’s character and his personal history with Harry’s parents were not properly explored in the films.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows is too complex and the rich narrative cannot be captured in a two and a half hour movie. Thankfully, the producers of the series decided to split the book into two movies.

A lot of the details were lost in the six films, and it will be interesting to see how the Deathly Hallows will be approached, but I hope key elements of the Deathly Hallows will not be lost when the book is translated into film.