Harry Hooper: Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1971

Born: August 24, 1887

1908: Graduated with Engineering degree from Saint Mary’s College in California

1908: Signed by Boston Red Sox

Debut: April 16, 1909 (Red Sox)

1912: Red Sox won World Series

1913: Became first player to hit lead off home run in both games of a doubleheader

1915: Hit two home runs in World Series game

1915-16, 1918: Red Sox win World Series

1919: Elected team captain

1921: Traded to the White Sox

1925: Retired

1933-57: Postmaster in Capitola, California (appointed by FDR)

1971: Elected to Hall of Fame

1974: Died

Accomplishments:

4x World Champion

.281 career

75 HR

817 RBI

1429 runs

160 triples

1136 walks-581 strikeouts

.755 OPS

3400 TB

Scored 100+ runs: 3x

Hit .300: 4x

Hit 30+ doubles: 3x

10+ triples: 9x

15+ triples: 2x

10+ HR: 3x

20+ SB: 9x

30+ SB: 2x

40 SB (1910)

.400 OBP: 3x

Postseason: .293, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB, .806 OPS

Quotes of the Month: September 2011

Quote of the Month:

“My neighbor’s two dogs have created more shovel-ready projects than this current administration.”

-Former N.M. Governor Gary Johnson on the Stimulus

Stupid Quote of the Month:

“It’s a very difficult district for Democrats.”

-Debbie Wasserman Schultz on New York 9 (which is 75% Democratic)

Slam of the Month:

“So does anybody want a date with Mayberry? He’s Stanford educated…”

-Hunter Pence on his teammate, John Mayberry’s attempt to ask actress Antoinette Nikprelaj out.

Gaffes of the Month:

"We’re the country that built the Intercontinental Railroad."

-Barack Obama (he meant transcontinental)

“If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a Jew, uh, as a janitor makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that with a badge of honor. I have no problem with that.”

-Barack Obama confusing Jews and Janitors

Scary Quote of the Month:

"I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover."

-Governor Bev Perdue

And the rest…

OBAMA: "I can see the unemployment line from my house!"

-Ann Coulter

“Has anyone in the history of the world spent more money than Obama?”

-SE Cupp

"London is no longer an English city."

-John Cleese

'President Obama, This Is Your Army. We Are Ready to March. Let's Take These Son of Bitches Out'

-James Hoffa

"I get a code violation for this? I express who I am. We're in America last I checked."

-Serena Williams’ Meltdown at the U.S. Open

“Charlatan is an unfair word. He did an awful lot for effect.”

-JFK on FDR

"S---, you have to get rid of this ball just a split-second quicker."

-Ron Jaworski during a NFL broadcast

“People feel betrayed, disappointed, furious, disgusted, hopeless.”

-Anonymous Democratic Source after losing Weiner’s seat

“If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less.”

-Ozzie Guillen on AJ Pierzynski

“Start drinking early.”

-Tom Brady to Pats fans

“If you love me, you got to help me pass this bill.”

-Barack Obama to supporters

"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band …”

-R.E.M.

Quotes of the Month: July 2011

Quote of the Month:

“Daniel Craig’s my Wookie bitch now!”

-Harrison Ford to Chewbacca

Dumb Quote of the Month:

“FDR comes in, he tries all these things with the New Deal; but FDR, contrary to myth, was pretty fiscally conservative.”

-Barack Obama

Best on-air exchange:

“Do you have a degree in economics?”

-Contessa Brewer to Congressman Mo Brooks

“Yes mam, I do. Highest honors.”

-Mo Brooks to Contessa Brewer

Best Slam:

"So was Nicole Brown when your dad got OJ off.”

@HaHaWhitePPL (on Twitter responding to Kim Kardashian’s tweet “Casey Anthony not guilty! I’m Speechless.”)
　

And the rest…
“No Balls. No Justice.”

- A sign protesting the Anthony verdict

"Well, I'll be back in about 16 years."

-Al Michaels

"Money is cool and all but I'm only 23, I have a lot of time to make that."

-Christian Lopez after catching Derek Jeter’s 3000^th hit

"As far as I'm concerned, Betty Ford saved my life."

-Stevie Nicks

“It’s hard to know whether these pundits understand how stupid and childish their rants are, or whether they’re so blinded by their ideology they don’t understand it’s not really appropriate to refer to people with whom you disagree on taxes as Wahhabis, suicide bombers and members of a death cult.”

-Peter Wehner on partisans comparing Republicans to terrorists

“We don’t pay him to run. We pay him to trot.”

-Jim Leyland on Miguel Cabrera

“Stats are for losers and rings are for champions.”

-Darren McCarty

“This would be easier if I could do this on my own.”

-Barack Obama wishing he were dictator?

“This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell into GOP Senate nominees. The reality is that the debt limit will be raised one way or another, and the only issue now is with how much fiscal reform and what political fallout.”

-John McCain

“National League pitchers are stupid.”

-Mitch Williams on why they pitch to Ryan Howard

Previous Winners: Men of the Decade (1900-1999)

1900s- Albert Einstein: Something about relativity...

1910s- Henry Ford: Assembly line and $5 day set up the 20th century.

1920s- Babe Ruth: People had disposable income for the first time and spent it on sports.

1930s- Mohandas Gandhi: The Salt March and non-violent protest inspired MLK and helped India gain independence in 1948.

1940s- Franklin D. Roosevelt: Turned the weight of American power on the Germans and Japanese militarists. Essentially saved the western civilization.

1950s- Laika: First dog in space. I like dogs.

1960s- Apollo 11: We really need to return to the moon and set up colonies before the Earth becomes too populated.

1970s- No one!: What a crap ass decade this was.

1980s- Ronald Reagan: Bed time for Communism.

1990s- Steve Yzerman: The decade was a "holiday from history." Steve led the Wings to two Stanley Cups (1997-1998) and broke the curse.

Grades: First Year for Every President Since FDR

Here are the grades for every president's first year since FDR. The rationale for each grade is listed next to the name. If there are questions, google the terms or ask. Also, some events have a greater significance, so even if a president has a nice achievement or a dunderheaded move, it can be canceled out by something else. Interestingly, I gave Clinton a higher mark than many of the people in his administration for his first year...

Obama is not included.

I used January 20 as the end date for the accidental presidents.

FDR: A (New Deal)

Truman (April 12, 1945-January 20, 1946): A (Potsdam, Ended WWII,UN)

Eisenhower: A (Ended Korean War, Kept most of New Deal, Earl Warren)

JFK: D (Bay of Pigs, Alliance for Progress, Peace Corps, Berlin Wall, Failed summit, Space Program, Inaugural Address)

LBJ (November 22, 1963-January 20, 1965): A (Kennedy Assassination, Civil Rights Act, 1964 Election. Beginnings of Great Society)

Nixon: C (Inaugural Address, Bombing Cambodia, Beginning of Vietnamization, Silent Majority speech)

Ford: (August 9, 1974-January 20, 1975): A-(WIN Program, Nixon Pardon, Healer-in-chief)

Carter: C (Draft dodger pardon, Carter VS. Congress)

Reagan: A (First Inaugural Address, Tax Cuts, Assassination Attempt, Air Traffic Controller’s Strike, Confrontation, Defense Buildup, Sandra Day O‘Connor)

Bush 41: C (Panama, Fall of Berlin Wall)

Clinton: D- (FMLA, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, NAFTA, Travelgate, Troopergate, Whitewater, other assorted scandals, Waco, Somalia)

Bush 43: A (Tax cuts, 911, Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind, Withdrawal from ABM Treaty and Kyoto, Overthrow of Taliban and War on Terror, Ground Zero Speech, 911 Address to Congress)

Presidential Legacies: Hoover and Roosevelt

This is a continuation of the examination of the Post-Progressive Presidents. These are the presidents that served between the end of World War I and the end of World War II. Their policies were either a reaction to or influenced by the Progressives that ruled between 1901 and 1921.

Herbert Hoover followed Coolidge. He could have been a Democrat, but joined the more popular of the two parties. Shortly after assuming office, the economy collapsed. The main cause of the collapse was under consumption of products. In other words, people stopped buying goods. As a result, credit collapsed, people lost their jobs, and the stock market collapsed. Hoover should have been the right man for the job. He led European relief efforts during World War I. He seemed overwhelmed and inadequate. On the other hand, Hoover did attempt to use government to fix the economy. He failed. He does not get credit for what he did try because his efforts were dwarfed by the New Deal. Hoover became synonymous with poverty. New words entered the vernacular under Hoover's watch. Hoovervilles were shanty towns. A Hoover blanket was a newspaper. This combined with his dour personal image doomed his re-election effort.

Franklin Roosevelt came in like a breath of fresh air. He instituted the New Deal. This was a massive governmental effort to end the depression. Some programs worked while others failed. The idea was to try something. Roosevelt’s greatest success was saving the banks and saving capitalism. Upon entering office, he declared a bank holiday and closed the banks. People were taking everything out of the banks. FDR stopped them and thereby stopped the bank failures. When the banks reopened, deposits far exceeded withdraws.

FDR never scrapped capitalism. In fact, today’s leftists, liberals, and progs resent him for not instituting socialism. While some of his policies were antithetical to laissez faire capitalism, they did manage to save and restore capitalism. In an age where fascists and communists were eliminating freedoms worldwide, and some in this country advocating these types of policies, this is no small achievement.

Despite saving the system, the New Deal did not end the Depression. Instead, it was World War II that got people working again. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the unemployment rate collapsed. People were back to work. However, it would not be until the Eisenhower Years that the economy would truly recover.

As commander-in-chief, Roosevelt would save the world and his historical legacy. By leading the “arsenal of democracy”, he supplied the allies with wartime materiel. By pushing the Atlantic Charter with Winston Churchill, he offered an alternative to Nazism and Communism. By leading the coalition, choosing the military leaders, and allowing the generals to do their job, he liberated Western Europe. In the end, Roosevelt saved capitalism, democracy, and the world.

In sum, each of the Post-Progressive Presidencies were influenced by the Progressive Era. Warren Harding wanted to return America to normalcy, end the aggressive foreign interventions of Woodrow Wilson, and work on arms control. Calvin Coolidge operated a minimalist government with the only reform being in the tax code. Herbert Hoover attempted an unprecedented governmental response to the Great Depression. Roosevelt was Hoover on steroids. However, his economic policies ended up creating a barter economy not unlike Medieval Europe. Roosevelt’s saving grace was his leadership through World War II.

Media Bias: 1932-1952

When did the media drift so far in one direction to the point of practically coordinating with the Obama campaign? There has always been a bias. However, it was not always right-left. Prior to the rise of the neo-left, it was establishment vs. anti-establishment. Then, came Johnson and Nixon. At that point, things changed.

First off, let’s separate the print media from the electronic media. The newspapers were pretty even and maybe even leaned Republican for a long time. When FDR ran for re-election in 1936, the newspapers overwhelmingly endorsed his opponent, Alf Landon. However, the electronic media was in love with FDR and his wife.

FDR posed a stark contrast to President Hoover. Hoover was an engineer, bureaucrat, and hero from World War I. His dour personality and seeming ineffectiveness made him an easy target. FDR promised a New Deal and had an outgoing, friendly personality. Most importantly for the press, Roosevelt was East Coast establishment while Hoover came from Iowa and went to Stanford. Roosevelt's pedigree and charm made the press believers. Then came some high school graduate and failed businessman from Missouri.

Once Truman assumed the presidency, it was open season. Truman was not an east coast elite. He was an interloper from Missouri. The press attacked him and campaigned for New York governor Thomas Dewey (whom they opposed in 1944). Truman beat Dewey and the press continued to hound Truman. The Republicans picked up on the anti-administration themes for the 1952 campaign.

The Greatest Inaugural Addresses

I have read every Presidential Inaugural Address from Washington to W. I have seen every Inaugural Address from Kennedy to W (Thank you C-Span). So, here is my list of the five greatest addresses and four honorable mentions...They are arranged chronologically.

1. Thomas Jefferson (1801): Jefferson tried to heal wounds caused by a decade of intense partisanship. People think today's politics are hyper-partisan. However, the 1790s were worse. As Obama has been doing, Jefferson attempted to reach across the aisle and proclaimed one American nation with the refrain, "We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists."

2. Abraham Lincoln (1865): The partisanship of Jefferson's time was intense, but not as intense as the 1850s. By 1860, compromise was not possible and war broke out after Lincoln's inaugural in 1861. Speeches do not have to be long to be good. Lincoln's second address was short and to the point. He wanted to heal the nation, "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

3. Franklin Roosevelt (1933): FDR reassured a nation deep in despair by promising "that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Compared to the dour Herbert Hoover, this was a breath of fresh air. Additionally, with improvements in technology, we can see and hear FDR's speech today.

4. John F. Kennedy (1961): JFK's inaugural was a call to arms for a new generation. It was a message of hope. Mankind can eliminate poverty and other social problems. Liberty will spread. America's good words would be transformed into good deeds. Kennedy also challenged Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."

5. Ronald Reagan (1981): Reagan always performed for his audience. After four years of the Carter Malaise, and almost 20 years of bad luck, divisions, and disasters, Reagan had come on his white horse to set things right. Reagan promised a new beginning. As a result of leftist policies, the economy was shattered and America's prestige abroad at an all time low. Like today, solutions to problems does not come from government. Instead, America's problem was government.

Honorable Mentions:

1. Andrew Jackson (1829): Jackson's election marked the beginning of a new age. (It also led to the greatest party in American History as the White House got trashed). Jackson's address was similar to Reagan's. Liberty is more important than government expansion.

2. Abraham Lincoln (1861): The South left the Union. How would Lincoln respond? He attempted to alleviate Southern worries, but he also let it be known that states can not leave the Union. He asks Southerners to be patriots and appeals to their "better angels."

3. Benjamin Harrison (1889): Harrison was known to be "icy." He was not very likable, but he managed to get elected. Despite his inability to be warm and fuzzy, he gave a pretty good address. It was a celebratory unity speech.

4. Richard Nixon (1969): Nixon came back from the abyss to win the presidency in 1968. During his exile, he became an expert in foreign affairs. Like Kennedy, he appealed to something bigger than himself. It was a "Summons to Greatness." Nixon pushed for a peaceful world. He asked Americans to seize the opportunity for greatness. It was time to end war, "The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker."

The Greats

There are three presidents that deserve to be in a category all their own. They are the saviors. Each one faced a crisis that could have destroyed the country and steered the country through. At various points in their presidencies, America could have ceased being America. They are listed chronologically.
1. George Washington. When Washington took office, no one was sure what the Constitution meant. He put the skin on the skeletal document. On top of this, his force of will kept people in line. He was not dictatorial. Instead, people worshiped and respected him. When Jeffersonian clubs threatened to tear the country apart, he told them to disband and they did. When Whiskey Rebels threatened the government's authority, he put down their revolt (and then pardoned them). Washington was no king. Instead of serving for life, he stepped down after two terms. On his way out, he warned against factionalism and foreign alliances/entanglements. Had Washington not been president, there was a real chance the U.S. would have broken up into 13 countries.
2. Abraham Lincoln. The South left the Union and Lincoln forced them to come back. Along the way, he freed the slaves, limited states' rights, modernized government, and centralized federal power. If someone else had been president during the war, the U.S. and C.S.A. would have been two countries. Many wanted to let the South go. Lincoln said no and used everything in his power to keep them from leaving.
3. Franklin Roosevelt. FDR faced two crises. The Great Depression ravaged America and the government seemed helpless. His New Deal did not end the depression, but it gave people hope, modernized government, saved capitalism, and staved off revolution. While Germany produced Hitler, America produced Roosevelt. FDR was quick to recognize the Nazi threat and mobilized as best he could for war. When it came, he put the full force of the United States into winning it. His advocacy of basic human rights and stance against fascism helped save the world.

FDR's Golden Sombrero

Franklin Roosevelt was elected to the presidency four times. None of the four elections were close because of FDR's personality and the nature of the times. In each election, Roosevelt ignored his opponent, concentrated on what he wanted to do, and attacked the Republican Party as a whole for the Great Depression. Ironically, FDR was a Democrat because Theodore Roosevelt had so many sons, that FDR believed he could not compete with them. They did not enter politics, but FDR did not know that. Had he known TR's sons were going to stay out of politics, he would have been a Republican.
1932: The country was in the middle of the Great Depression. Herbert Hoover was the incumbent. Hoover got the blame. His name became synonymous with poverty. Any chance he had of being re-elected came to an end when Douglas MacArthur unleashed tanks on a tent city full of World War I vets. FDR won big.
1936: The Depression had not ended. The GOP ran Governor Alf Landon from Kansas. He attacked the New Deal as wasteful and ineffective. The polls showed a Landon landslide, but pollsters only talked to people with phones, so a large swath of the electorate was ignored. FDR won a monster victory as people felt he was on their side.
1940: World War II had begun in Europe and the Depression still hampered America. The Republicans nominated Wendell Wilkie. Wilkie was a moderate and his nomination signaled the beginning of moderate domination of the GOP. Essentially, voters could choose New Deal or New Deal light. Wilkie ran a spirited campaign and the GOP attacked FDR for not ending the Depression, warmongering, and the third term. FDR won as people did not want to FDR to leave with World War II at their doorstep.
1944: FDR was dying. The Democrats knew it, but ran him again. They dumped incumbent vice president Henry Wallace from the ticket because he was too far to the left and was involved in weird mysticism. They replaced Wallace with Harry S. Truman of Missouri. Truman had gained national attention and acclaim rooting out wasteful wartime spending. The GOP nominated Thomas Dewey of New York. With World War II waging, Dewey could not hit Roosevelt without looking bad. As a result, Roosevelt won again. He died five months later.