Forgiving some bets opens the door for betting
Bartlett, Ill.: The decision of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to remove Pete Rose from MLB’s ineligible list, paving the way for his posthumous election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is incredibly wrongheaded. The following hypothetical scenario illustrates why.
Let’s say the Dodgers and Giants are neck-and-neck for the division title in the season’s last month. The Dodgers are playing the final game of a three-game series on a Thursday night. The Giants arrive for a three-game series the next night. Rose has bet $10,000 on the Reds to win the Dodgers game. Many people think Rose should be given a pass for breaking MLB’s cardinal rule and lying about it for 15 years because he always bet on the Reds (I’ll come back to this momentarily). The Dodgers game goes 14 innings, Rose pulls out all the stops and the Reds win. But because he burned up his bullpen in pursuit of the payday, the Giants pummel the Reds. At the end of the season, the Giants win the division by a game and the Dodgers miss the playoffs (several years before the playoffs expanded). Even though Rose bet on the Reds, he directly affected the outcome of a pennant race by placing that wager.
This is why the lifetime ban never should have been lifted. Rose should never be elected to such a place of reverence after what he did. It’s not like he was unaware — a sign is posted in every clubhouse that says betting on baseball will result in a lifetime ban from the game. Lifting the ban sends the wrong message: the rule of law doesn’t matter. Glenn Bischoff
Walk of success
Brooklyn: Jessica Huang graduated on Friday from St. Francis College. She was no ordinary student, as she lives with cerebral palsy. Striding across the stage with the help of a walker, she showed us all to never give up. I never met this young woman but was impressed by her stick-to-itiveness; an inspiration to all who struggle at one time or another. May those who helped her on her way — her parents, professors and physical therapist — realize that each step across that stage was made for them. May Jessica go full-stride into the future. I believe she will. Sharon Cesario
Birthday money
North Bergen, N.J.: Vanity as exhibited by President Trump can be either amusing or criminal. For example, take Trump’s decision to use orange makeup to create what he thinks would look like a real tan. That’s amusing. On the other hand, consider Trump’s misappropriating more than $100 million in tax dollars to fund a military parade to celebrate his birthday. That’s not just vain, it’s downright criminal because that money can’t be accessed absent congressional approval. This is yet another reason that Trump doesn’t deserve to be president, so why is it taking so long to initiate impeachment hearings? Irving A. Gelb
Wealth extraction
Manhattan: I’ve always thought that we as a country are strongest when we protect our weakest, not when we’re prioritizing our most powerful. The divide between richest and poorest in America has never been greater. Yet Trump, the self-serving sociopath, and his band of congressional sycophants are pushing hard to give millionaires even more tax cuts to further enrich themselves on the backs of the poorest citizens who depend on Medicaid and food stamps to survive. If anything, these folks need more support, not less, and the rich ought to pay more in taxes, not have their taxes cut. Anyone supporting this “big, beautiful bill” should be totally ashamed of themselves. Sadly, though, this type of thinking has become all too commonplace in red-hat America. Michael Udolf
Robbing the poor
Manhattan: The Republicans want to make massive cuts to Medicaid, stripping millions of people of their health coverage and food stamps in order to fund another huge and unnecessary tax break for the rich. In other words, they want to take from the poor to give to the rich — just the opposite of Robin Hood. Watch out! Next they will come after Medicare and Social Security and say they are just cutting more government waste. Chana Schwartz
On the way up
Medford, L.I.: Bravo to Trump for continuing to fight for the American people in leaning on Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell to lower interest rates. The American people just survived four hellacious years under an administration that made every decision that went against their best interests. Now Trump has come into office and, like the legendary college football coach Howard Schnellenberger, is whipping the economy back into championship form. Lower interest rates for housing and autos — what is commonly referred to as “the cost of money” — need to be dropped to pre-pandemic levels. If so, the U.S. economy will be hitting on all cylinders, ushering in the Golden Age. Luana Dunn
Payoff plane
Manhattan: The reeking image of the Grifty Old Pig’s royal smear — Trump slithering his unfit, jumbo rump down into a gracelessly ostentatious seat on “The Scar from Qatar,” a gift from alleged friends of the murderous terrorizers of America and democracy on the despicably infamous 9/11 — gives treacherously fetid meaning to the horrific B-movie title “Snakes on a Plane.” Phil Vanaria
Dual denial
Howard Beach: Just the way MAGA Republicans can’t admit that Trump lost the 2020 election, Democrats refuse to admit that Joe Biden was unfit to run in 2024 and cost them the election that put Trump back in the White House. Obviously, voters need new objective, reality-based parties. Ernest Kienzle
Work on yourself
Bronx: Re “AOC will not yield” (May 15): These so-called macho men in the Republican Party just can’t deal with smart women. Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) was the latest recipient of AOC’s dressing-down for trying to bully her. According to the Center for Effective Lawmaking, Weber is one of the least effective members of Congress. I suggest to him that he start working and bringing home the bacon for his district. Virgilio Carballo
First principles
Bronx: Dear MAGA, welcome to the woke society of Jesus: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. And blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Let me end by saying, “What does it profit man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Gilbert M. Lane
Elder abuse
Bound Brook, N.J.: The City of New York has harassed and is trying to rip off and steal promised health benefits from 70- and 80-year-old loyal, honest workers. How is this possible? Many worked at Ground Zero and still suffer from being there. The unions stole money from our accounts to pay for raises for current workers. Three judges have sided with us within three years, but this mayor who ran to Trump to get out of his financial shenanigans and save himself is turning his back to let 250,000 vulnerable seniors lose their promised traditional Medicare. How can he be so cold, especially since he’s one of us as a retired NYPD captain! He gave free housing in hotels, money and health care to thousands of illegal immigrants without batting an eye, but legal, hard-working seniors — he has no problem cutting their throats! Anthony Mignone
Theirs fair and square
Brooklyn: To Voicer Chalky White: Your claim that the Zionists did not purchase their land is all wrong. The report of the 1937 British Peel Commission on Jewish land purchases in Palestine made no reference to Jewish theft of Arab land. Thousands of Arabs from surrounding areas came to Palestine to take advantage of the economic development stimulated by the Zionists. If the Arabs had not started the 1947 and 1948 wars, there would have been a grand total of zero Palestinians refugees. Wendy Jackson
