Don’t blame Volpe for Yanks management errors
Manhattan: Re “BOOOO- Ray!” (July 30): Yes, Anthony Volpe is having an awful season, especially in the field. That’s solely due to psychological factors. This condition will be rectified in time!
As a minor league infielder in the Milwaukee Braves organization in the early ’60s, I experienced three spring training camps in which the “traditional” fundamentals of the game were drilled into all the minor leaguers striving to move ahead. I listened carefully to my spring training infield coaches, Buddy Hicks and Dick Cole. They helped me reinforce my knowledge of fielding fundamentals. They taught me the multiple ways a second baseman must be able to “turn” double plays from the right side. That proved to be vitally important when the lightning-fast baserunner, Lou Brock, was bearing down on me for two seasons. We learned fundamentals by repetition, trial and error, reasoning and game simulations. Making an error in the field was accepted as part of the game, but base-running mistakes were totally unacceptable!
Yankees fans should not be booing Volpe! If anything, they should be directing their anger at the Yankees’ ineffective analytics department! This group of gurus is constantly fabricating new offensive and defensive techniques that have been proven to be confusing and counterintuitive. The latest nonsense is to have infielders field ground balls on their back hand side! That’s nonsensical. Volpe and every infielder in baseball should be making crossover steps to get in front of ground balls hit to their left or right! And baserunners are now taught to slide head-first into all bases, including home plate! The fact is baserunners get to the base faster using a straight leg slide and it’s safer! Gerard Rosenthal
Bench Boone
Bronx: The New York Yankees need a relief manager in the late innings. Denis Buckley
Sub-par players
Port Jefferson Station, L.I.: Steve Cohen calls the top of the Mets lineup the “Fab Four,” but based on their recent lack of hitting, they should be called the Flatulent Four because, well, they stink. Bob Cavaliere
Swing less
Bronx: The Mets need to hire a batting coach who knows how to teach their batters not to strike out so often and to take a few pitches — stop swinging at the first pitch. Bring back Billy Ball. Ralph Canzone Sr.
Minors vs. majors
Newton, N.J.: To Voicer Shirley Watts: On June 23, 1972, Bernice Gera umpired the first game of a Class A minor league doubleheader between the Geneva Senators and Auburn Twins. That’s not the major leagues. Know the facts. Michael Schnackenberg
No freebies
Spotswood, N.J.: My parents taught me not to steal. It’s wrong and illegal. Migrants who enter the country illegally steal health care, public assistance and many services by not paying taxes. That is all illegal. They don’t carry insurance, which is another drain on our economy. They know it’s wrong and so do you. It is incredibly easy to apply for a work visa. We need honest people in our country. Tom Scott
Paramilitaries
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.: The Bramhall cartoon of Aug. 8 showing a “census taker” in an SS-style uniform was disturbingly prescient. In the 1930s, Hitler’s Brownshirt thugs in sloppy fatigues morphed into the dreaded SS with terrifyingly black uniforms and red armbands. When ICE agents shed their frumpy quasi-camo and emerge in snappy black uniforms (with red “T” armbands), know full well that history is rhyming. Bob English
Tables have turned
Whitestone: Re “Trump crew hits Tish with subpoena, mortgage probe” (Aug. 9): The chickens are coming home to roost. Letitia James claims that “no one is above the law.” Letitia, do you believe in karma? Maybe you should. Remember, what goes around comes around. Remember to leave the courtroom seat in the third row on the aisle empty so President Trump can sit in it while you’re on trial. Gene O’Brien
Already enjoyed
Hyde Park, N.Y.: First of all, I’m sure I don’t have to remind Voicer Roberta Chaleff that a lot of industries in the U.S. are already socialized/run by the government, such as early education, police, fire departments and the military. They all have their individual “inefficient allocation of resources,” but I don’t hear too many people saying they’d want to privatize those industries, that’s for sure. So “socialism,” if you will, is already pretty common in this country. Secondly, she seems to think that only Democrats want universal health care, which is completely untrue. And lastly, she thinks Democrats should “seek political leaders who don’t yell, scream, complain and oppose the American way.” Wow, I just really have to thank her for describing the Republican president we have right now perfectly! Jack Cregan
Put a limit
Bronx: What if rents were to be adjusted according to the income of the renter? Or pass a law that no one in New York City can be charged more than 30% of a household income for rent. If anyone falls into hard times, the government can step in to help. Someone has to do something because there seems to be no end to this issue. Year after year, the same problem: not enough housing, higher rents. Storage companies don’t seem to have a problem finding spaces to erect buildings just to store people’s stuff. What about a storage-structure straddle by building to house people? Perfect combination. Virgilio Carballo
Answered
Pearl River, N.Y.: To Voicer W. Twirley, who asked if I pay city taxes and if my NYC apartment is rent regulated: Yes and no. Robert Brennan
Part-timers
Glendale: Voicer W. Twirley seems to have a problem with Voicer Robert Brennan, who lives in Pearl River but keeps an apartment in New York City. I have mixed thoughts on Brennan’s situation. First of all, I am sure he is not doing anything illegal since he spoke freely of his situation. If he can afford the additional rent, more power to him. There are many individuals, companies and celebrities who keep an NYC apartment. It’s a free country, so be it. However, I’ve always wondered how many apartments are taken up by people who don’t reside (live full-time) there and only use them occasionally. Does anyone out there know the answer? I am not complaining since they don’t utilize many of the government services they are entitled to, so in a way, it is beneficial to the city. Thomas Murawski
Infested
Bellerose: We are dealing with a massive infestation of cockroaches. They are coming from manhole covers, the city trees that line our streets and burrow under our sidewalks. They are invading our homes. This is a major health risk, for these bugs are carriers of bacterias, parasites, fungi and viruses. Many of us have mixed connective tissue disease (an autoimmune disorder), which makes us high-risk. I’ve reached out to elected officials and received a response from Councilwoman Linda Lee’s office. The rest send form letters telling me what they’re doing. To add insult to injury, Gov. Hochul wants to use the grounds at Creedmoor for Section 8 housing. The cockroach infestation is bad now, so what is going to happen when Hochul adds more to the area? We pay taxes and are living in an unsafe and unhealthy environment. We need to shed a light on this infestation so someone will be held responsible. Rosemary Pedersen
Unending horror
Rosedale: The Israeli military is the most brutal army operating in the world right now. It’s worse than the Russian army, beating expectations. The wanton killing of civilians in Gaza, including defenseless women and children, is intolerable. Starving a population by using food as a weapon, bombing churches and killing civilians at will — war crimes after war crimes committed and the world stays silent. Only South Africa, who took them to court to expose their crimes, can be commended. This has to stop. Donovan Purrier
Stuck with Bibi
Brewster, N.Y.: It’s my feeling that people who stay in one position too long get stale and lack new ideas. Case in point: Bibi Netanyahu. He has now been prime minister of Israel for 15 of the last 16 years. This is just my opinion, but it would seem that Israel might benefit from new blood and a fresh perspective from its leader. Larry Maslak
