The Great Defender

 

The Sharks and Jets each defend their turf
(West Side Story, of course)

One thing I can't handle -- like, it's a problem -- is when I see someone -- especially someone I care about -- get bullied, harassed, or anything that I think is untoward.

I see it a lot and it's basically the toughest thing I do.

As in discretion being the better part of valor. 

Biting my tongue or the fingers that would attack a keyboard.

Sometimes, I go on the attack.

Most of the time, it's me finding another way to let the venom out.

And look, I value those who will do the same for me. Chris Erway and Shawn Sailer are often quick to jump if they see something going on and there are obviously others.

I also value the honesty of those who tell me I'm getting what I deserve and vice versa.

But telling myself to back down or even walk away and stop caring is about the toughest thing for me.

"It's not worth it," I'll say to myself.

There was a situation not too long ago. Tim Parry reached out to me a few days back to ask what happened.

Trust me, he's another one who will jump ugly.

That loyalty means a lot. Everyone has their own definition of loyalty, and there are often different levels. I'd like to think I'm honestly loyal.

Anway, I'm babbling.

Just know that I'm often (now probably more than ever) climbing a wall when I see someone get attacked.

And so, there will be no vagueness to what's got me fired up. I'll just say nothing.

*****

I'd really like to address the hiring of Kim Ng by the Miami Marlins as their new general managers. Ms. Ng is the first woman in the history of male professional sports in the United States to become a GM.

She's also the first Asian American.

A lot of spaces on the bingo card got filled in.

But here's the best thing: the best person got the job. I've followed her career from when she worked with the Yankees and, if I recall correctly, we were on the same flight to New Orleans in 2003 for the Winter Meetings.

A flight that was -- I kid you not -- the first for my mother, who went to NOLA to visit my niece who lived down there. My mom was 65. It was her first flight. She would fly again to New Orleans a few years later and to Arizona a few times. That was basically it.

But, again, I'm babbling. Kim Ng worked for the Yankees and, eventually, the Dodgers. Today, she begins making the decisions in Miami.

It's significant that the glass ceiling was shattered. It's significant that it's a small sign of progress. It's an even better sign that a wonderful candidate who was incredibly qualified got this richly-deserved opportunity.

It's no PR move. Keep an eye on what Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, and Kim Ng are building in South Florida. 

I always thought the Marlins would improve. Now the work begins.

It's a fantastic day for baseball. 

Last note: I once again saw the "blah blah blah...60 games...awards don't matter..." nonsense.

Again, I bite the fingers that strike the keyboard.

That is all.