The improbable career of Jungle Jim Rivera

With the death of Minnie Minoso, just two 1950's Go-Go Sox remain standing: Billy Pierce, 87, and my favorite, 93 year old Jungle Jim Rivera. If Billy Pierce was Ozzie Nelson, Jungle Jim was Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown, and his ten year career as sparkplug of the Go-Go Sox a near miracle.
One of 12 children of a destitute Puerto Rican immigrant couple in Spanish Harlem , Rivera was farmed off to a orphanage at age six for ten years after ...his mother died. Back in circulation at 16, Rivera bounced around at a number of body building construction jobs and honed his athletic skills in boxing and baseball. Rivera joined the Army Air Corp in 1942, won a service boxing championship and played on a service baseball team. But in 1944, Rivera's future was grim; sentenced to life for attempted rape and assault. His disproportionate sentence had much to due with his being Puerto Rican, committing his crime in the South and choosing a victim whose father was an Army officer. But in the 40's, many prisons fielded baseball teams who played both other prison teams and civilian teams, needing good exhibition opponents. Rivera so impressed the owner of the Atlanta Crackers minor league team, he finagled Rivera's parole in 1949, after just five years. Rivera went on to lead the Class D Gainesville G Men and the Class D Pensacola Flyers to pennants in 1949 and 1950, batting .335 and .338 with 142 and 139 runs scored respectively. Playing in the Puerto Rican league after the 1950 season, Rivera encountered another angel; the ornery curmudgeon Rogers Hornsby, managing a rival Puerto Rican team. Hornsby, who said Rivera was the only player he'd ever pay to see play, arranged for Rivera to make the jump to Triple A Seattle in the Pacific Coast League. In 1951, Rivera carried his third straight team to a pennant, batting 352, while garnering 135 runs and 231 hits. Rivera's luck held as Hornsby was tapped by Bill Veeck to manage the '52 St. Louis Browns. Hornsby convinced Veeck to sign Rivera, completing his spectacular jump from the Joint to the Big Show. But it took Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick to let Rivera into the Bigs, after the St. Louis Bluenoses tried to oust the ex-con from playing in their city. Rivera slumped early and was traded to the White Sox in July. He became a perennial fan favorite with his head first slides and fabulous running catches in right field. He homered in the 1959 pennant clinching game to give the Sox an insurance run in their thrilling 4-2 victory of the Indians.

Prisons today are a neglected and oft privatized Hell, where opportunities for salvation and redemption are nil. How many thousands of Jim Rivera's are languishing in these disgraceful edifices to heartless austerity we'll never know. But for ten years we South Siders got to see one fabulous success story, which comes to mind with the passing of the Cuban Comet.

I'm shocked, shocked, Schock would squander public funds on the Bears!

As a huge Downton Abbey fan, I forgive Peoria Congressman Aaron Schock for wasting $40,000 of government funds for an office re-do in Downton Abbey "Euro Trash" style. Now that errant Aaron has paid back Uncle Sam from his personal piggybank, the matter is moot; leaving Schock to ponder, in the privacy of his office, whether 40 G's to mimic the Granthams was worth it. But blowing 1,200 of my tax dollars f...or private jet service to watch a semi-pro team like the Bears in beyond the pale. That shows a lack of judgment in terms of taste and personal style that is unforgiveable in a corrupt congressman. Schock should have the decency to retire early from Congress to work in a homeless shelter. But as someone who apparently spent all his spare time chasing the rich and famous on the public's dime (when he wasn't pulling the remaining crumbs away from the needy), Schock may need a little assistance in finding one to work in.

Is Roskam relocation in the future?

My congressman Peter Roskam (IL-6) sure knows how to add insult to injury. First, he enthusiastically supported the villainous action of GOP Speaker Boehner to invite Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress to promote sabotaging the Obama administration's delicate negotiations with Iran; negotiations which are possibly our last best hope of avoiding another Middle East war. Then, he gifted the Israeli president with a patriotic painting of the Capitol Dome, pained by wife Elizabeth.  Maybe its time for Roskam to consider renouncing his American citizenship. Then he can move to Israel, become a citizen and run for the Knesset. This might allow him to serve in the actual government he appears to most fully support.

A bittersweet Minnie memory

It was September 22, 1959. This 14 year old Sox fanatic could barely breath watching the White Sox try to clinch their first pennant in 40 years, and bury the shame of the 1919 Black Sox scandal. With the Sox ahead 2-1 in the sixth, Al Smith, for whom the Sox traded Minoso to Cleveland before the '58 season, lofted a long fly to left. Minoso, drifted back and leaped at the wall to make an apparent catch. But the ball hit his glove and dropped into ...waiting bare hands for a home run and the clincher in the joyous 4-2 triumph. Minnie had played a literal hand in the Sox one and only pennant during his five decades in the Big Show. I recalled that game due to the tragic news of Minoso's passing, found dead in his car, returning from celebrating, appropriately enough, a friend's birthday. And every time I do, my mind's eye still sees Minnie, head down, talking to his glove, which unwittingly helped push his beloved Sox over the finish line.

GOP, placeholders, to ensure Netanyahu gets full house for divisive speech

    

House Speaker John Boehner gets a 'twofer' this morning. In the most villainous action he and his anti-Obama, pro war buddies have taken in their disreputable control of Congress, Boehner welcomes Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress without the protocol of presidential approval. It simultaneously undermines presidential authority in foreign affairs while working to sabotage the delicate administration negotiations to prevent war with Iran over their nuclear programs. It is such and unprecedented and reckless action that 53 congressmen, 10% of the entire Congress, will boycott Netanyahu's speech. That number is sure to swell by "kick off Obama" time takes place. But don't look for any empty seats if you tune in. Taking a cue from the Oscars, Speaker Boehner has supposedly arranged placeholders to fill the seats of the principled congressmen who still put America first when preserving presidential authority and preventing war.

One of those placeholders will hold the seat of Jan Schakowsky, the only Jewish American member of the Illinois delegation. If she was giving a speech she'd reprise what she said when announcing her boycott:

"As a Jew, support for Israel is in my DNA", but... "This is not the first time that the Republicans have tried to divide the Democrats and paint themselves as the only true supporters of Israel. The reality is that, when it comes to tangible deliverables, the Obama administration has been unfailing in its cooperation with Israel — more so than most, if not all, administrations over the last 40 years."

Kirk, Durbin, Roskam: Boycott Netanyahu speech

We should all urge our Illinois congressmen to boycott the Congressional speech tomorrow by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu. Set up by GOP House Speaker John Boehner and the Israel First, America Second crowd in Congress, Netanyahu's not speaking to Congress in support of delicate, ongoing negotiations with Iran to defuse the most likely path to war presently in the world if they fail. He's here to champion American support... for Israel to rid themselves of a second hegemon in their neighborhood. He's been goading America to do this for a decade now, playing the Iran 'nuke card' even though Israel possesses a hundred of more not so secret nukes, and even though Israel refuses to join the nuclear non-proliferation community.

30 representatives and four senators have already declared their boycott. Let's help boost that total and show Netanyahu and Israel to bud out of sane, reasoned efforts to end this crisis peacefully. Here's how to contact your congressmen to express your disgust with this most pernicious assault on the best chance for peace in the Middle East, and the reprehensible undermining of the president's authority to conduct foreign affairs with bi-partisan support:

Senator Richard Durbin 202-224-2152 Undecided about attending
Senator Mark Kirk 312-886-3506 Plans to attend
6th District Congressman Peter Roskam 202-225-4561 Plans to attend

Breuder's Banquet squanders tax dollars; hurts private restaurant owners

I wonder how many fine dining restaurant owners in Glen Ellyn can afford to lose a cool half mil a year and stay in business. I know of just one, the taxpayer owned Waterleaf Restaurant, a.k.a. Bueuder's Banquet, installed at College of DuPage by ego obsessed president Robert Breuder and a compliant Board. Waterleaf was the hot topic at the Dailey Herald's COD Board candidate forum. Candidate Chuck Bernste...in advised Waterleaf has lost $1.5 million since it opened in 2011, including half a million in 2013 and 2014. Two current Board members running for re-election, Kim Savage and Nancy Svoboda, see no problem here, since they and other Board members have asked numerous questions about Waterleaf the past four years. But questions don't count if we don't get answers. Savage said Waterleaf is providing a real-world learning experience for students, omitting that they already have a small boutique restaurant to learn in, and their measly two days a week to practice at Waterleaf is likely a sop to maintain the fiction it has educational value. Savage also claims Waterleaf helps bring attention to COD and generates foot traffic on campus.

But the attention that this money losing Edsel is bringing COD hurts it enormously. That foot traffic we taxpayers are subsidizing is better traveled to the private Glen Ellyn eateries suffering from an un-level serving table tilted in favor of a publically funded competitor. The fact that no high end restaurant starts out making a profit, according to Savage, was reason enough to never open it. Savage is confused when she states Waterleaf is "earning more annual revenue than its first year of operation." Revenue is not earnings; profits are. At Waterleaf, increased revenue simply means loss continues to escalate.
If money pit Waterleaf stays open, at least designate it 'Breuder's Banquet' to satisfy a retirement package pledge to name something on campus after him.