Baseball's Major Milestones Tonight

Sluggers Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton and Pitcher Kyle Hendricks all achieved some Major Milestones tonight...

Let's start with Trout. Just about every baseball fan in the Country has known that LA Angels slugger Mike Trout had been trying to reach that 400 Home Run milestone for what has seemed like an eternity.

Well, tonight he became the 59th ball player to knock 400 pitches out of the park in the century and a half that men have been playing the game at the professional level. He joins the Yankee's Giancarlo Stanton as the only two active players in the exclusive 400 Home Run Club. And he's only the 20th to have hit 400 all for one team.

But wait, there's more! About an hour before Trout launched his eighth-inning, milestone moon shot--a 485' blast--Stanton hit his 450th four-bagger! I watched that one, too! The Angels and the Yankees both won their games impressively. Stanton's teammate, Aaron Judge, also touched them all this evening and he's on pace to hit 50 again this year. Judge is the front runner to pick up his third AL MVP Award for 2025, though the Mariner's switch-hitting slugger Cal Raleigh is having an amazing season as well.

And would you believe that Angels Pitcher Kyle Hendricks made his 300th Career Start in this memorable game tonight? Yeah, he sure did! So he and Mike both achieved major milestones with tonight's 3-0 victory over the Rockies. It's a night baseball fans--Angels fans, especially--will remember for a very long time.

"Bulldog Ben" Basile

© 2025 Benjamin Lawrence Basile

The Threat to the US from Religious Extremism

I recently engaged in an on-line discussion with an individual who participates in another internet forum that I've been active in for the last few years. The gist of the discussion was about whether Islam or Christianity would have the most appeal to non-believers. 

It's a completely irrelevant question to me. What's important right now when we give any thought to these two religions is not what's true but what threat or threats are posed to us by the most extreme adherents of these two faiths or religious practices. 

The truly important issue for us in the US right now is about the propensity both religions have to try to assume power and compel everyone—whether they’re believers in the majority, ascendant religion, or believe anything at all—to follow their beliefs and religious doctrines or laws.

When the most extreme followers of Islam, Christianity or any religion are in control, ordinary people, regardless of belief or unbelief, are at risk of having their freedoms taken away and being forced to live under religious rule.

There is a movement afoot in the US right now to compel everyone—believers, people following other faiths and atheists alike—to “get on board”, to submit to their narrow ideas about how things ought to go. It’s the fulfillment of their Apocalyptic vision that “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. (Philippians 2: 10–11)

Of course, not all Christians in America share the idea that the Church could or should be on an intentional, well-planned campaign to make this happen—regardless of what it might take to accomplish the mission, so to speak, but it’s happening, nevertheless, and the movement is gathering strength.

Although it’s true that the majority of American Christians are not on-board, it’s also true that the real hard-core and extreme adherents to any religion are usually the ones holding the power stick and therefore are able to carry out such a plan. Support from everyone who subscribes to the faith is not necessary.

And if you’re worried about what could happen to any of us in this Nation who might refuse to go along, or whether such a thing is even possible, let me point out that it’s happened many times in the history of Christianity and is a reality for millions of citizens and inhabitants of the six majority-Muslim Countries that are purposefully, authentically theocratic.

In a theocratic, authoritarian State, those in power can—and often do—force everyone, regardless of belief or unbelief, to submit to their authority, to their ideas about God’s will. They have the power to discredit, marginalize, excommunicate and—quite possibly—harm or kill those who don’t believe and/or don’t want to live in a theocracy.

The not-crazy believers would likely disapprove of the most extreme courses of action, but you’d still be discredited, jobless, slandered, ostracized, and—in a worst-case scenario that seems to be coming closer to reality with each passing day—dead.

We are only three or four short steps from having an authoritarian government in power with extreme religious leaders empowered as close partners, able to put in place their extreme ideas in ways that will impact all Americans, whether they’re believers or not.

Think Taliban or the mullahs and Imams of Afghanistan or Iran but with extreme Evangelical Christian leaders, whether clergy or lay, holding some office or not, calling the shots and compelling obedience.

Yes, what I’m describing is a worst-case scenario, and they may not be able to actually pull it off, but trump-loving Evangelicals and Christian Dominionists are trying as hard as they can to bring it about. And now they have a President and an administration who are on-board 100%.

Project 2025 became an issue in last year's Presidential election and Trump denied he even knew what it was but that was another lie. He's known all about Project 2025 and what Dominionists have been up to for a long time. And his Administration is now trying to implement as much of the plan's objectives as possible. 

Keep your eye on what trump and his minions are doing. And trying to do. If they get their way, the Religious freedom we have enjoyed and treasured for generations in the USA will be rooted out. And God only know when--if ever--we'll get it back.

"Bulldog Ben" Basile

© 2025 Benjamin Lawrence Basile

Elon using Hackers as his fraud finders?

The point of that meme in the header photo is 100% true. Musk using hackers to comb through Federal records looking for waste, fraud and abuse? The people who now see through this charade being pulled off by trump, Musk and his minions are from all points on the political spectrum.

The immediate goal is to permanently hobble the US Government and starve it of revenue through huge tax cuts that benefit the ultra rich and large corporations, many of which are already running record profits.

 
A huge part of the plan is to privatize everything that Government currently does so that Elon and others of his ilk can profit off every last facet of American life. Hundreds of his billionaire buddies are waiting in the wings, salivating.

The freedom and financial well being of millions of ordinary, working Americans are hanging in the balance. We must stop this gambit and obscene wealth grab at all cost. 

"Bulldog Ben" Basile 

© 2025 Benjamin Lawrence Basile

Ben's Christmas Wish for Everyone

This has been a challenging year for me in a lot of ways, yet I find myself feeling even more than the usual holiday spirit right now as I sit at the keyboard, waiting for Santa to come down my chimney. Wait! I don’t have a chimney! Oh well, I still believe! Well, the part about Santa, who can say? The rest of it, I’m still pretty big on all the good stuff that we think about when the holidays roll around each year. No doubt a lot of you feel the same.

The Christmas story does hold a lot of meaning for me. I’m not quite sure if I still believe all of it, all the nuances and consequences and so on; not quite like one “believes it” when the assembled faithful say the Apostles Creed together at Midnight Mass. Some will be doing exactly that in just a few hours, perhaps some of you.

Yet it doesn’t seem at all “funny” to me that God comes to us whenever it suits his/her purpose. Not entirely sure if “he” did in that particular, historical way. Being raised in a Christian family and having gone part-way through seminary a few years ago, I do lean in that direction. But I’ve come to see some things in a different light now that I’ve spent a little better than a half-century on this planet. This planet where almost a billion people believe that God became incarnate, was born of a young woman who had never “known” her betrothed. And that his coming among us in that way was the beginning of a Divine plan to make it possible for all of his creatures to enjoy unending fellowship with him and with one another! In this life and in the next! Now that’s a story! One we humans have been telling one another for a very long time, and I’m quite sure we’ll be telling it for a long time to come.

I’ve been struggling for so many years now about exactly how much of the story still “works” for me and all of that. But what I’ve never doubted is that God, or the Divine, does come to us and among us all the time. And I’m finally in that phase of life where I’ve learned to look for it, to expect it and to embrace it. And I know that the other really big thing about Christmastime is to get a bit closer to my brothers and sisters who also bear the image of the Divine One in their souls and on their beaming faces. Some of them were raised on the same stories I was; this one about God being born of a virgin, and many others.

Some, of course, have heard and embraced and celebrated different stories. I’m not very inclined to quibble about the particulars at this point in my life. I’m quite sure that God would love to see us move a little closer together at this time of year, and to go on telling those stories; especially that one about God robed in human flesh, living and dying as one of us. And I’m quite sure that the heart of the Divine is pleased when we carry forward “his” mission to strip away that illusion that our sins, imperfections, and much less, our differences, should separate us from one another or from his Divine Heart.

Well, Christmas Eve has progressed, as it will, into Christmas morning as I’m wrapping up this little holiday message. And I’m sitting here, luminous and expectant, like a six year old waiting for Santa to appear. Like Simeon in the temple, waiting to bless the infant Jesus, knowing then that he has seen and embraced, quite literally, the Divine plan to end our sinful and deadly illusions of separateness. I’m expectant, waiting in earnest to see and to embrace the next manifestation of the Divine. In you, in her, in us. Perhaps–and wouldn’t this be a great story–perhaps in and across many countries and cultures, in four billion human hearts at once!

A wish, a dream, a fervent hope… Perhaps that’s all it is. But a hope to hold close to one’s heart on Christmas morning. God bless each of you today and throughout the year to come. May you be blessed to see the image of the Divine, of the Christ-child in yourself–and in one another.

Ben Lawrence Basile
Christmas morning, 2007

© 2007 Benjamin Lawrence Basile

Ben is not the owner of this photo and believes it to be covered under Fair Use

The outlook after Nov 5th

For a lot of trump supporters and people who just hate the Democratic Party and anyone associated with it, the results of the November 5th elections were terrific. They're excited about trump's second swearing in on January 20th and are expecting plenty of rainbows and unicorns following on. 

But to the millions of  Americans who won't quaff the Kool Aid, we know the kinds of shock, chaos and stunning dysfunction that we'll soon be seeing from one end of the US to the other.

The proverbial shit is, in fact, about to hit the fan. And the horrific results will be felt in every corner of our Nation and, in fact, all over the Planet.

It’s incredible that it’s come to this. And, to be frank, I think our chances of ever undoing the damage to our Country that trump has done and is about to do are very slim.

If we can, it will take at least a generation. Not an election or two—and those may be about to go away—but a generation or two. And God only know what kind of shape our Country—and our PLANET—may be in by then.

Have you been wondering why those post-Apocalyptic movies and shows—the Mad Max kind—have become so popular? I think a lot of us know, deep down, that we’re heading into that kind of a hellscape but we’re not ready to admit that our situation is that grave. But we’ll buy the movie ticket and but then avoid ever having a serious discussion about all of that. 

For my part, I’m sure that’s where we’re heading. The Nov 5th Election and trump gaining power again has made it an absolute certainty.

I certainly hope I’m proven wrong.

"Bulldog Ben" Basile 

© 2024 Ben Lawrence Basile 

Aaron Judge Fastest to 300

All rise! 

Aaron Judge smacked his 300th career dinger tonight while the Yankees made short work of the White Sox. The final score was 10-2 and it was Aaron's 3 run shot that put the game on ice for the Bronx Bombers. 

The Yankee Captain became the fastest MLB player to reach no. 300, doing it in only 954 games. Pirates' slugger Ralph Kiner had been the fastest, reaching that milestone in 1087 games. So Aaron got there in 133 fewer games, a very remarkable achievement for a very remarkable ball player. 

There's not a doubt in my mind that Mr. Judge will garner his 2nd MVP this year. Providing there are no serious injuries waiting in the wings to spoil the party. And he'll go on gathering one award after another and MLB Records galore until he decides to hang up his cleats.

And then--precisely five years after retirement--one of the greatest sluggers in the history of America's Pastime will be welcomed into Cooperstown. 



"Bulldog Ben” Basile

© 2024 Ben Lawrence Basile 

Parallels, Hitler and Trump?

A participant in an on-line forum that I follow closely threw out a question today that I had to respond to. The gist of the question was about whether trump could become America's Hitler if he should get reelected in November. 

I think it's clear that he certainly could. There’s not even a shred of doubt that the sequel to that really shitty movie—trump’s first go-around as president—would be much, much worse.

There are many things that make that abundantly clear. The greatest tell is that he’s still saying the quiet part out loud and letting the whole world know that he will never accept the results of any election—this one, especially—unless he and his party win.

And if he does get back in, his first priority will be to fuck with everyone he hates. And he hates many, many people. Hair Hitler is obsessed with revenge. And his supporters and underlings who will be helping him carry out his campaign(s) of revenge understand that perfectly well and are on-board 100%. He’ll have plenty of help carrying his hateful plans.

He hates anyone who’s ever opposed him or spoken ill of him. And even people who simply haven’t kissed his stinking ass with sufficient enthusiasm.

His plans mirror almost perfectly everything Hitler and the Nazi Party did throughout the 1930’s while they were consolidating their grip on power. The QOP is praising him and enabling him all the way.

It’s not an accident that he enthusiastically, repeatedly and publicly praises every dictator in the recent history of the World and used to keep a copy of Mein Kampf on his nightstand. Yeah, his first wife ratted him out on that.

There is nothing in the life of our Nation more important right now than keeping this hateful, traitorous, putin-humping con man from getting into the Oval Office again.

"Bulldog Ben” Basile

© 2024 Ben Lawrence Basile