Readers sound off on MLB rules, illegal pot sales and Ukraine foreign policy – The Denver Post

Baseball is changing, so what about bad calls?

Manhattan: Re “Yankees pitcher Domingo German throws perfect game against Oakland Athletics” (June 29): With German pitching the first perfect game since 2012, it’s the last, best moment to recognize Armando Galarraga’s “28-out perfect game” from June 2, 2010. I’m hoping someone in Major League Baseball’s headquarters in New York will take notice.

In 1991, then-MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent cited Roger Angell’s 17-page “Homeric Tales” as influencing his decision to observe Roger Maris’ home run record without qualification. Today, the MLB can claim the change of heart comes from the thesis submitted to Commissioner Rob Manfred by undergraduate law students at Monmouth University — plus watching German’s 99-pitch feat.

Jim Joyce, the umpire in the 2010 game, even co-wrote a book with Galarraga about his incorrect call, titled “Nobody’s Perfect.” The time is ripe to show that baseball is trying to get things right. Enough with the traditionalist argument about why this can’t be done, or the slippery slope fallacy (claiming there are hordes of calls waiting to be overturned). True, the Guardians’ Jason Donalds’ infield single and his subsequent stolen bases will be lost (it won’t affect the certainty of the win and loss, though).

You have a pitch clock, extra playoff teams and a ballclub moving to the Las Vegas strip. Games are on streaming services. Regular season destination games are to be played in Korea, London, Paris and an Iowa cornfield. There’s the new “Shohei Ohtani rule.” I think you can handle a little more change. Adam Silbert

Work horses

South Richmond Hill: Voicer Susan Oakey says that being a carriage horse is no life for an animal that was built to run. Her next sentence would be to ban horse racing, right? J. Napoleone

Only one winner

Brooklyn: The governor and Janno Lieber are 100% wrong in thinking that congestion pricing is a win for millions of New Yorkers. It is a win for Lieber and his inefficiently run MTA. Let’s see what happens to Broadway theaters, parking lots and restaurants when people outside the city can no longer afford to go there. I certainly will not take the train and risk being stabbed, shot or mugged on the way home. People who love theater will be seriously overcharged for a night out. Stop making drivers bail out the MTA. Look at its books and fix the problems. Maryann Carson

Under the radar

Forest Hills: Next time you’re out on the roads, take a look at how many people have defaced their license plates so they can’t be read at toll booths or by speed cameras. If that’s the method the MTA is going to use to detect drivers below 60th St., it clearly isn’t going to bring any more money into their coffers. I would think that tolls on bridges, tunnels and other crossings have begun to decrease, too. So, instead of bringing more money in, the effect will be the opposite. Linda Sperling

Flouting the law

Manhattan: Illegal marijuana stores are cropping up all over the city, taking business away from legitimate businesses and costing the city huge tax revenue. I was on E. 14th St. recently and saw several stores operating openly and illegally. This illegal business is wide open and would be easy for law enforcement to put a stop to with some organization and effort. Richard Simon

Intractable

Hillsdale, N.Y.: It’s interesting that so many people complain about crime and unsafe conditions in the subway and on the streets. People are either shot or injured almost daily and nothing ever improves. We hear politicians stating that it’s unacceptable, but we already know that. So, when is something going to be done? We see speeding electric bikes on the sidewalks using corner sidewalk cutouts or zooming past stop signs, red lights and up the wrong side of streets, endangering everyone, but nothing is done to correct this. Are electric bikes really necessary in NYC to deliver products when pedal bikes served this purpose for years? I guess that if some people vote for the same liberal-thinking individuals, you get what you vote for because these same individuals will continue to say it’s unacceptable — and nothing happens! Phil Antico

Freedom of critique

Manhattan: If anyone is being disrespectful, it is Mayor Adams for castigating an 84-year-old woman for verbally challenging his “terrible rent increases” at a public meeting. The mayor was not only disrespectful to this speaker, but also to the American ideal of the right of individuals to challenge and oppose one’s government, its policies and its officials. His words were a betrayal of the principle and practice of democracy, a fundamental right fought for over centuries, which is already under siege or abolished all over the world. We should be acutely aware of and address the dangers of how a called-for respect for government officials is a masquerade for the recrudescence of the legitimization of monarchical principles, practice and rule. Aviva Cantor

Fox in the henhouse

Bronx: The postmaster general should be arrested for trying to fix the outcome of a presidential election. He did everything he could to delay the mail and destroy an institution for his interest in businesses relating to the United States Postal Service. Julio E. Rivera

Call for censorship

Bronx: Instead of discussing and trying to resolve our differences like adults, Voicer Gary Butler thinks the remedy for not having to engage in constructive dialogue is to deny people like me, with opinions he finds disagreeable, an opportunity to “Voice” our beliefs. He blames the Daily News and wants it to refrain from considering letters that offend him. He seems to be in distress and, I guess, feels vulnerable to other observations. Sad. Bob Pascarella

Puppet master

Brentwood, L.I.: In response to Voicer Louise Perrotta: Have you never heard of Susan Rice? W.J. Van Sickle

Breath of despair

Chicago: Just when we thought it was safe to go outdoors and take a deep breath, we’re all reminded that smoke-filled air is injurious to our health. What’s more, climate change isn’t restricted to warming temperatures and super-sized storms and floods. It takes many shapes and sizes — just like the mopes in Congress who refuse to believe that Earth is on the brink of its demise. Exposure to air pollution has been linked to asthma, emphysema, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, depression, suicides, miscarriages, premature births and infant mortality. Each year, air pollution has led to as many as 10 million deaths worldwide. Isn’t it the moral responsibility of every leader to secure the safety and health of their country’s population? What’s more, isn’t it the obligation of every citizen to ask of their leader, “Are you truly doing enough to protect the future of our planet?” The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. Bob Ory

Nurses needed

Hartsdale, N.Y.: Thousands of people are being laid off from good-paying jobs. What to do? There is a drastic shortage of registered nurses all over the country. Nurses in these parts make $100,000 a year after a short time. Become a nurse practitioner, make even more. It’s suitable for men as well as women. Try the religious schools first. Avoid a place that charges rapacious tuition. Take out a student loan and you’re on your way. Thomas J. Cunningham

Game of thrones

San Mateo, Calif.: Are the Ukrainians being pushed into a Pickett’s charge against entrenched defenders in Eastern Ukraine for the viewing of sports-minded Western audiences? Do they ignore standard warfighting where you flank the opponent by circling around through Russian territory and cut off supply, etc.? Here we have an orchestrated event where Ukraine is kindling for the ongoing efforts to maintain U.S./NATO dominance in a world where its power is receding. If I were Ukrainian, I’d strenuously object to being so used. We’ve not even winced at the trillions spent propping up the worldwide banker’s casino when they pitched us all into the financial cauldron of ‘08. Those trillions are now needed to try to preserve humanity in the face of human-induced climate chaos. We need to get our collective eyes back on the ball instead of playing king of the hill at the expense of others. Mike Caggiano

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