WAS WHITEY A HERO?

Whitey Ford died on October 8. An all-star pitcher for the New York Yankees in the 1950s and 60s, he was nicknamed for his hair, not his skin. Whitey was a favorite of mine but not a hero. Regarding heroism, I’m picky. As a kid, I was partial to Mickey Mantle, a huge Yankees star,…

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THE VIEW FROM NORWAY

Eighteen months ago, Donald Trump called for more immigrants from Norway (aka white people). Norwegians seem content to stay home. Derek B. Miller, a Massachusetts native and author who lives in Norway’s capital, Oslo, offers some perspective. Miller wrote the best-selling novel Norwegian by Night. He provides a sharp take on the country of his birth…

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LAURA AND DUKE—A HATE STORY

America generally accepted racism in 1871, even though the Civil War had ended six years earlier. A century later, bigotry stood officially condemned. Yet prejudice had its champions. Today, those champions have champions.  On Laura Ingraham’s February 20 Fox News show, author/journalist Raymond Arroyo rebutted the furor resulting from the resurfacing of a 1971 Playboy interview…

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DO GUNS KILL PEOPLE?

Kids play at war. I did. When I was ten, friends and I made wooden rifles for mock combat. We took apart fruit and vegetable crates, did some sawing and hammered a few nails. But we knew the difference between make believe and reality. If only that were true of the National Rifle Association. I…

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RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM

Many people believe that baseball represents a microcosm of life. I agree. And that goes for fans, too. They have lots to teach us about this nation, including the health-care arena. I went to AT&T Park as a spur-of-the-moment thing after the Supreme Court’s June 28 decision on Obamacare. As the first inning began, I…

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