Make it right with Rose, but not before Jackson
Cibolo, Texas: The recent death of Pete Rose has triggered a significant number of baseball fans to suggest that Rose’s expulsion was excessive and he should be reinstated and enshrined at Cooperstown. In my opinion, although deserving, Rose needs to wait a bit longer.
Joseph Jefferson Jackson — “Shoeless Joe” — represents the epitome of ballplayers who have been unjustly banished from the sport. The conspiracy to throw the 1919 World Series, the notorious Black Sox Scandal, is one of baseball’s darkest moments. However, the debarment of Jackson for his “involvement” in the fix remains a controversial topic.
It is now well-known that Shoeless Joe (photo) refused the $5,000 bribe on two occasions. Additionally, Jackson attempted to inform Charles Comiskey, owner of the White Sox, about the fix. However, Comiskey declined to meet with Jackson. Years later, players who were implicated in the scandal admitted that Jackson did not actively participate in the fix. His performance during the 1919 World Series lends credence to his innocence. He was 12 for 32 (a .375 batting average) and five for 12 with runners in scoring position. Jackson hit the series’ lone home run, and he is credited with six runs batted in.
Unfortunately, like Rose, Jackson remains on MLB’s ineligible list, which precludes his election to the Hall of Fame. So far, efforts to reinstate him have been futile. It is time for MLB to correct this egregious error. Sorry, Pete, but Shoeless Joe goes to the front of the line. John Di Genio
A-list only?
Point Pleasant, N.J.: So, I guess you have to be a super-celebrity to get your obituary in the Daily News. I notice that famous people have passed and The News no longer writes about their deaths. Damn shame. Gene Speroni
Neglected sport
Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.: You do know the hockey preseason has opened, too? You cover the NBA but not the NHL. It’s time for The News to expand its horizons. Let’s go Rangers. Glenn E. Simpson
Cheaters blanked
Bronx: The Astros didn’t advance this year because they couldn’t cheat. Everyone was watching! Kevin Quirke
Off the air
Poyntelle, Pa.: Living here in northeastern Pennsylvania all my life, I was so shocked to hear the news that WCBS News Radio 880 was going off and changing to all-sports radio. I’ve been listening since 1990 — 34 years — and now I won’t be able to hear Wayne Cabot and Paul Murnane, two of my favorite newsmen, and also Craig Allen, my favorite weatherman. The same thing happened in 1982, when WABC 770 dropped the music and went to all-talk radio. Let’s hope News Radio 880 can get enough people angry to get sports taken off. Alan Kulakosky
Investing instead
Bronx: I know what I’m going to do if congestion pricing is approved in its present money-grabbing form. I will not drive into Manhattan and will save my congestion-price money to purchase the MTA tax-free bonds the agency will peddle once they reach the $1 billion collected from the poor souls who have to drive and spend money in Manhattan. Virgilio Carballo
Take a fuller view
Woodside: I agree with James F. McShane on his Be Our Guest piece (“Congestion pricing is not the (complete) answer,” op-ed, Oct. 3). Most of our congestion has been created by the city reengineering the streets in the central business district. This seems to have been done by the city mainly to kowtow to groups like Transportation Alternatives. It appears that no real thought went into this reengineering, looking at the pros and cons of these changes and the effects they would have on traffic patterns. Never taken into consideration was that double-parking runs rampant and unchecked, causing even more delays and congestion, especially on the cross streets. The city needs to rethink how these reengineering projects get done and look at the pros and cons and how they affect everyone — driver, pedestrian, cyclist. Tom Rice
Doubtful
Brooklyn: I have a different opinion in regards to the proposed Arrow Linen site in Windsor Terrace (“An Arrow pointing to housing,” editorial, Sept. 14). It will not only ruin that part of Prospect Ave., but it will start the decline of Windsor Terrace. Will the developer include parking for every apartment? I doubt that minimum-wage earners will be able to afford to live there. If the developer gets permission, they will build as much and as high as they can. This isn’t about affordability, it’s about greed. If you think I’m wrong, take a good look at Downtown Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens and Fourth Ave. Bruce Selfridge
Hung out to dry
Bronx: Re “Frustration in wake of ‘cane” (Oct. 3): Hundreds of thousands of people are desperately turning to the U.S. federal government for help. Meals of any kind, cultural sensitivity not important. Lodging of any kind, four-star ratings not necessary. Financial assistance as well as life-saving medical aid. Unfortunately for these people, they are only United States citizens fighting for their survival due to a national weather catastrophe in their very own country. Joe Schulok
Deprioritized
Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas just announced that FEMA does not have enough funding to make it through hurricane season. This in spite of the Biden administration having just given another $2.4 billion to Ukraine and having also spent almost $1 billion in shelter services funding migrant housing over the last couple of years. This is a catastrophic neglect of duty on their part, as they continue to put Americans last. Interesting too is how the most needy Americans affected by Hurricane Helene are in areas that traditionally vote Republican, and the lack of aid and assistance may jeopardize their ability to vote next month. Michael P. Devine
Slick stuff
Brooklyn: At least the VP debate was civilized. There were no nasty comments. However, the following was clear: Sen. JD Vance was glib but a real empty suit. Either he lied or does not believe obvious facts. He refused to answer the question whether President Biden won the 2020 election. Vance lied that Donald Trump saved Obamacare. Trump made numerous unsuccessful attempts to abolish it. Vance also refused to answer the question about the lies spread by him and Trump concerning the Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio. Vance still defends the lie. No matter how glib he is, unfortunately, he can’t be trusted to tell the truth. Alan Podhaizer
High hypocrisy
Staten Island: To Voicer Fred Schoeneborn: It never fails to amuse me when a MAGA hat complains that someone from the other side is making up silly names for your idol. Webster’s Dictionary defines hypocrisy as “the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform.” What’s next? Are you going to complain about someone poking fun at disabled reporters? Or someone who calls veterans losers and suckers? You can’t hold anyone to a higher standard than you hold yourself to. Victor R. Stanwick
Polarized policies
Bronx: Letting states decide laws in opposition to the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause is unconstitutional. Remember when states legalized slavery for 200 years resulting in the Civil War, a war that killed more Americans than WWI and WWII combined. Presently, some states have the death penalty and others do not. Just imagine all the innocent people executed wrongly. How do you remedy that? This the ultimate misapplication of the 14th Amendment. Dare not touch the Second Amendment. Letting the states decide is a recipe for a discontented nation. We are living in the most polarized time in American history. A nation divided against itself can not long endure. We have met the enemy, it’s us! Gilbert M. Lane
Keep printing
Floral Park: I am 83 and have been a New Yorker all my life. I want to thank you so much for your daily publication of The News. My family always had the newspapers delivered, but many of the New York papers have closed down. Thank you for your unbiased news and for the Voice of the People. Like many others, I enjoy doing the puzzles, along with the comics. Please keep printing, as your paper is a daily staple for many old and young readers. Pat Ryan