Dec. 1, 2008 Max Freidlander, as told to Jacklyn C. Wadler: India Inkings Mark Steyn: Whodunit!? Nov. 28, 2008 Rabbi Ahron Rapps: An evil seed that didn't have to be Melanie Phillips: Carpe diem --- or can we all relax now? Nov. 26, 2008 Michael Feldberg: Meet the Orthodox Jew who laid groundwork for scientific development of ordnance that undergirds America's current world leadership Andrea Simantov: Shades of life Nov. 25, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Getting Emotional For Influence The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman : Thanksiving feast! Nov. 24, 2008 Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg: 'I just Became a grandchild!' Barry Rubin: Don't flatter your enemies, protect your friends Nov. 21, 2008 Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Money matters? Caroline B. Glick: Civilization walks the plank Nov. 20, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: Bronfman's blindness The Kosher Gourmet By Linda Gassenheimer: Portobellos add a hearty flavor to pasta with pesto Nov, 19, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Spread the wealth? Jewish tradition and income equality Elliot B. Gertel: 'Mad Men': Tackling prejudices or reinforcing them? Nov, 18, 2008 Dr. Debby Schwarz Hirschhorn: The End of the Age of Reason Jonathan Tobin: Does Barack + Bibi = Disaster? Nov, 17, 2008 Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The End of the Age of Reason Diana West: Gulling Americans into making terror legit? Nov, 14, 2008 Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: The Power of Spiritual Inertia Caroline B. Glick: The perils ahead Nov, 13, 2008 Stratfor Intelligence Briefing: How Bush and Obama together could change the Middle East dynamic The Kosher Gourmet by JeanMarie Brownson: Sweet and savory, crispy and meltingly tender bestilla Nov, 12, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Tyrannical Co-Workers Michael Doyle: High Court to consider today donated monuments that may have religious messages in public parks Nov, 11, 2008 Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Will Obama stop government officials considering institutionalizing financial jihad? Jonathan Tobin: They Will Decide Their Own Fate Nov, 10, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: $8 billion, modern-day Tower of Babel being built? Barry Rubin: A letter to the president-elect from a Middle East realist Nov, 7, 2008 Rabbi Francis Nataf: Of Children and Immortality Caroline B. Glick: Livni's Obama strategy Nov, 6, 2008 Rabbi Yonason Goldson: How I tricked a classroom of apathetic students into grasping the fallacy of moral relativism The Kosher Gourmet By Gina Kim: Tips for making the perfect soup --- includes recipes Nov, 5, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist By Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Destitute Debtors Bruce Weinstein: 'Religulos': Bad title,even worse movie Nov, 4, 2008 Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Treasury Dept. submits to Shariah law Frida Ghitis: A surprise for Obama in the Middle East Nov, 3, 2008 Jonathan Rosenblum: Who says Jews are Smart? Jonathan Tobin: Was He Wrong About Everything? March 22, 2007 J-Rhythms with Avraham Rosenblum: JWR's cutting-edge music program showcasing performers -- singers, song writers, musicians, and bands -- who learn and live the Torah lifestyle (OUR NEWEST IGODCAST !) Oct. 29, 2003 Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Oct. 28, 2005 / 25 Tishrei, 5766 Diagnosing Baseball's Ills: Treating the Strike Zone By Drs. Michael A. Glueck & Robert J. Cihak http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Every year come World Series and Charlie Brown Pumpkin time this baseball fanatic gets an irresistible urge to diagnose and treat baseball's maladies. Spurred on by a few bizarre calls in the ALCS (Angels-Chicago) and The World Series (Houston-Chicago) this season my chief complaint is the calling of balls and strikes. The essence of baseball is a duel. One pitcher, one batter. The batter's job is to hit a round ball with a round bat when that ball (in the Major Leagues, at any rate) is coming at him at between 85 and 100 mph and he has less than half a second to decide where the ball is going and how to react. The pitcher, for his part, must get the ball there in a manner that the batter cannot react to very effectively, or at all. Most times, to do this, the pitcher must throw the ball so that it passes through the "Strike Zone" — an area over the plate and roughly between a line — halfway between the batter's letters and waist — to below his kneecaps, once he has assumed his stance. Pitching and hitting: two of the hardest activities in sport — made harder and harder by the inconsistencies, errors both inadvertent and flagrant, peccadilloes, perturbations and private philosophies of a peculiar breed of men known as "umpires." It's not that we have anything negative to say about these self-important judges. Nor will this Anaheim fan admit that he is still more than a little annoyed over the outrageous calls that eliminated his beloved Angels from the playoffs. Rather, I should like to point out an umpiretorial shortcoming as egregious as it is widespread. Namely: de-basing (to coin a phrase) the integrity of the Strike Zone. Baseball is a game of inches. Safe or out, foul or fair, ball or strike. Steals and slides may make the highlight films, but it's the "ball and strike" category that usually determines the course of the game. Unfortunately, every one of MLB's dozens of umpires seems to have his own interpretation of the zone, and to vary it from team to team, player to player, stadium to stadium, week to week. Since there are approximately 1000 MLB players, a total of 162 games per team, and roughly 300 pitches per game, this adds up to a lot of variance. At the very least, umpiretorial preferences and quirks favor pitchers or batters. As one of our sons explained some years ago, while in High School, a large strike zone favors the pitcher, since he has more room to work the batter. A small strike zone favors the batter, since the pitcher must throw more often "down the middle" in order to get strikes, thus giving the batter more meat. Any bad call can changes the odds of scoring or holding the opposition. No, problem, you contend, since both sides get to bat and all that matters is "consistency." But there is no consistency. Umpires, it has been known for years, consciously or unconsciously vary the zone for different batters and pitchers, depending on their status, prospects, and prior experiences. Team to team, batter to batter, stadium to stadium, even inning to inning. Until we get some consistency in calls across the league, the choice will be either going to some form of instant replay/appeal or accepting that, too often, the game will be decided by the quality of the officiating, not by the play on the field. Clearly, this is a matter that calls for serious front-office consideration and ongoing retraining and monitoring of the crews. Lets hope the strike zone disorder can be solved internally without going to replay. Fans don't expect perfection and besides yelling at the ump is part of the game. That said, our national past time belongs to the fans and players and the umpires should follow the rules — not philosophies. Editor's Note: Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., Newport Beach, usually writes on medical-legal issues but this time of year becomes bewitched and hexed by baseball. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., is a multiple award winning writer who comments on medical-legal issues. Robert J. Cihak, M.D., is a Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and a past president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. Both JWR contributors are Harvard trained diagnostic radiologists. Comment by clicking here. Archives © 2005,

Mitch Albom  Michael Barone   Dave Barry  Tony Blankley  Andy Borowitz  David Broder  Stratfor Briefing  Mona Charen  Linda Chavez  Ann Coulter  Greg Crosby  Rod Dreher  Larry Elder  Suzanne Fields  John Fund  Frank J. Gaffney  Lloyd Garver  Jonah Goldberg  Julia Gorin  Jonathan Gurwitz  Paul Greenberg  Victor Davis Hanson  Betsy Hart  David Harsanyi  Nat Hentoff  David Horowitz  Laura Ingraham  Jeff Jacoby  Paul Johnson  Jack Kelly  James Klurfeld  Ed Koch  Ch. Krauthammer  Jonathan Last  Michael Ledeen  John Leo  David Limbaugh  Kathryn Lopez  Rich Lowry  Michelle Malkin  Jackie Mason  The Medicine Men  Dick Morris  Bill O'Reilly  Clarence Page  Kathleen Parker  Dennis Prager  Wesley Pruden  Tom Purcell  Jonathan Rauch  Celia Rivenbark  Robert Robb  Cokie & Steve Roberts  Pat Sajak  Debra J. Saunders  Culture Shlock  Roger Simon  Michael Smerconish  Thomas Sowell  Mark Steyn  John Stossel  Cal Thomas  Jonathan Tobin  Bob Tyrrell  Diana West  Dave Weinbaum  George Will  Walter Williams  Mort Zuckerman  Robert Arial  Chuck Asay  Chip Bok  Dry Bones   Lisa Benson  John Branch  Gary Brookins  John Cole  J. D. Crowe  John Deering  Brian Duffy  Everything's Relative  Mallard Fillmore  Jake Fuller  Bob Gorrel  Joe Heller  David Hitch  Jerry Holber  Steve Kelley  Jeff Koterba  Dick Locher  Chan Lowe  Ranan R. Lurie  Jimmy Margulies  Rick McKee  Michael Ramirez  Jeff Stahler  Danna Summers  John Trever  Gary Varvel  Kirk Walters  How 2  Lori Borgman  The Savvy Consumer  Elder matters  Fixit  Dr. Peter Gott  Marybeth Hicks  GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko  Richard Lederer  Tech Maven  Nutrition Myths  Bruce Williams  How Stuff Works