The news this week about the Department of Justice looking at the phone logs of journalists covering the White House, and of the IRS scrutinizing the tax returns of various right-wing groups, is bad for the Obama administration. They are also much more likely to stick than the Benghazi story....

The Yankees hot start has been one of the biggest surprises of the baseball season thus far. Many, including this writer, thought 2013 was going to be a very tough year for the Yankees and that they would struggle to play .500 baseball. However, with the season roughly one-fourth over,...

Alex Rodriguez is one of the most disliked players on the New York Yankees and in all of baseball. Although it is hard to measure, Rodriguez may be one of the most disliked players in the history of both the Yankees and baseball. His poor media relations, steroid use, enormous...

On July 4th a pro-gun group is planning an "open carry" march on Washington. This means that marchers will assemble in the capital bearing unconcealed loaded weapons. Organizers of the event have claimed there will be at least 10,000 people participating in this march, but turnout could be significantly lower,...

The terrible events in Boston last week are a reminder of the threats that Americans now face. If an event like the Boston Marathon can be attacked in such a murderous and cruel way, it is hard to imagine any place or event that is no longer vulnerable to similar...

In late April of 2005, I was walking through Manhattan's Upper West Side when I overheard a conversation between two men. The first said, "How about that new Yankee second baseman. He looks great!" The second man, who was a doorman in a large apartment building responded "I'd trade him...

The new movie 42 seeks to tell the story of Jackie Robinson to a new generation of baseball fans and Americans. Robinson was an extremely important figure for the U.S. generally and for baseball specifically. When Robinson stepped on the field on April 15, 1947 he changed the game and...

President Obama's time in the White House is now more than half over. Presidential aspirants from both major parties are beginning to think more seriously about the 2016 campaign. Soon speculation about what Obama will do after leaving the White House will commence. Given his temperament, intellect and background, academia...

Despite the good first weak enjoyed by the Mets, and the recent hot streak by the Yankees, this season may be a rough one for big league baseball in New York. It is possible that, for the first time since 1992, both the Yankees and Mets will finish below .500....

Former Arkansas governor, and formerly relevant national political figure, Mike Huckabee is guilty of the latest right wing reductio ad Hitlerum fallacy. The Tea Party and right wing penchant for comparing President Obama to Hitler and Stalin is evidence not of any totalitarian tendencies on the...

This is the second year in a row the San Francisco Giants have ended spring training by signing a major star to an enormous contract extension. Their star catcher, and reigning NL MVP, Buster Posey, is now signed through 2021, with an option for 2022, at a total cost of...

The beginning of the baseball season is only a few days away. This is good news to all baseball fans who have made it through another off-season, and another winter. This season, like all others, is full of possibility excitement and questions. Will this be the year the Yankees finally...

This was a hugely important week for LGBT Americans as well as advocates for equality for all citizens because the Supreme Court heard cases regarding California's Proposition 8 as well as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). It was also, however, a very important week for the Supreme Court. The...

Many times when people from Europe or other non-baseball playing countries have commented how strange it is that Americans love baseball while "the rest of the world plays soccer," I have tried to explain that many countries play baseball. After listing off the countries where baseball is popular, I usually...

Senator Rob Portman's (R-OH) decision to support marriage equality highlights the absurdity of his previous position. Portman, who was a social conservative but whose positions have evolved since learning a few years ago that his son is gay, clearly believes that his love for his son is more important than...

It must be springtime. The weather is finally getting warmer, baseball season is almost here and Paul Ryan is presenting a budget proposal which, despite his assurances that it is innovative and reflects new thinking, is little more than a right-wing economic program seeking to balance the budget by cutting...

Ashley Judd's all but declared Senate campaign has the potential to have an impact far beyond Kentucky politics. Her candidacy will not be uncontroversial. As a movie star with a national profile and as a supporter of progressive causes, she may not look like the ideal candidate to unseat a...

Mariano Rivera, who has announced that 2013 will be his last season, is one of the best and, from my subjective view, coolest ballplayers ever. This year, at age 43, he is seeking to comeback from an injury that cost him almost all of the 2012 season. If he saves...

Bud Selig has been a very controversial baseball commissioner. He oversaw steroid use for years, allowing it to become a major problem, before seeking, ineffectively, to address the problem for the last several years. He created the new three division system and the wild card -- now wild cards --...

The possibility of a range of spending cuts beginning automatically on March 1st due to the sequester remains very real with only a few days remaining until the deadline. The sequester will cut spending, but also likely impact economic recovery and growth. While some may laud the sequester for finally...