To borrow a quote from the great Yogi Berra: "Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical." America's pastime has always been a thinking man's game, but with the influx of modern technology and new analytics it's become more analytical than anecdotal. Major League front offices are staffed with more people who have Ivy League degrees but who've never played in the Big Leagues...

Whether by accident or by deliberate osmosis, Israel and the U.S. have adopted similar solutions to their existential problems. Before 2002, during the various Palestinian intifadas, Israel suffered hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries from suicide bombers freely crossing from the West Bank and Gaza into Israel...

Morality is a hard thing to legislate -- we all have different opinions and convictions. In the case of House Bill 2044, this is an egregious overreach of the government into the morality and individuality of Missourians. As a teacher who has worked alongside librarians, I can tell you that they are some of the most diligent, intelligent and trustworthy men and women in the public system. ...

There is little doubt that Hunter Biden's directorship at Burisma company in Ukraine was a clear-cut case of corruption on the part of Joe Biden. No matter what excuse they both give, it does not pass the smell test. However, Trump-defenders' demand that Hunter Biden must appear as a witness in defense of Trump during his impeachment trial does not pass the smell test either...

On January 3, the United States used a drone strike to kill Qassem Soleimani who was Iran's most important general. I certainly do not mourn his death, but I believe that there are problems associated with our action. For us to have been in compliance with the United Nation Charter when we killed Soleimani, we would have needed to have been under attack from Iran. ...

Cape Girardeau and Jackson Public Schools foundations and Notre Dame Regional High School will host fundraising events in the coming weeks, giving attendees a fun night out while raising money to support local schools. Jackson's Red & Black Affair is set Feb. ...

There is a part of our culture that reveres celebrity — and bravado. One could even say a mark of the modern era is the dominance of celebrity culture, where individuals thrive commercially by turning fame into personal brands, which are then leveraged for money and more fame...

Today, I'm advocating for animals because they cannot advocate for themselves -- and I love them enough to do it for them. Owning a pet is a selfless act because, let's face it, pet ownership is not just a joy; it's a responsibility. Most people understand that. What they may not understand is that not owning a pet is often a selfless act also...

Editor's note: The following letter is in response to the Jan. 16 Good Sports column, "Conservation agent in Cape 'loves' the water." With regard to Jeff Long's Good Sports feature Jan. 16, a buddy once told me, "God deducts no time when you're fishing." I fished my local pond on Tuesday and had one bite in just over an hour. It was still wonderful, and I can't wait to go again...

I'm almost as upset that Democratic presidential candidates are squabbling as I am that Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle apparently don't want to live in Los Angeles until President Donald Trump leaves office. Double bummer. Speaking of doubles, did you know that Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have accused each other of lying? How can this be? Progressives don't lie. With that in mind, one of them must be lying...

Despite its cool Green parties and ambitious wind and solar agendas, Europe remains by far the world's largest importer of oil and natural gas. Oil output in the North Sea and off the coast of Norway is declining, and the European Union is quietly looking for fossil fuel energy anywhere it can find it...

"What I'm always fond of saying is, 'The one thing that will never ever change is everything changes,'" said Mike Kohlfeld in a video announcing Kohlfeld Distributing as the Jackson Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. Kohlfeld was one of several local businesses honored last weekend at the chamber's annual dinner and banquet. A sold out crowd of 575 people packed the Jackson Civic Center to celebrate a thriving community, growing chamber and visionary business leaders...

The new year brings with it a wonderful opportunity for me to share that the Institutional Actions Council (IAC) of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) -- the regional accrediting body for Southeast Missouri State University -- has reaffirmed our accreditation, extending it for 10 years with no interim reporting or monitoring required! The IAC formally acted on our reaccreditation application in early December. The university's next reaffirmation of accreditation is set for 2029-2030...

Several celebratory events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be held Monday, the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday designated as a day of service, with other events to follow in the days ahead. A breakfast is scheduled for 8 a.m. Monday at the Shawnee Park Center with keynote speaker Lamonte Calvin, pastor of New Direction Outreach Ministries. ...

As a retired ear, nose and throat doctor, I'm concerned about the consequences of vaping. Vaping lends itself to experimenting with additives; nearly 20% of kids under 18 are vaping with marijuana or nicotine. Anything that has an oil or a complicated molecular weight can result in a non-infectious pneumonitis leading to interstitial fibrosis and chronic lung disease, which is likely what is killing people...

Numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics note the U.S. fertility rate is 59.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. It's a record low for the country, according to the organization's November report. Couple's dealing with infertility issues know the struggle of trying to conceive only to have their hopes dashed...

I spent much of last week accompanying my wife Victoria to an academic conference in Seattle. Joining us was our 7-year old daughter, Liza, who showed the patience of Job sitting through her mother's panel. Some of the presentations were in German, and let's just say they weren't the most riveting engagements -- even though to me it's fascinating how so many talented professors talk openly about using courses such as language instruction as a vehicle for ideological indoctrination. ...

As we begin 2020, there is the lingering question whether the new decade is actually now or in 2021. I think it's a matter of semantics, and personally I think of the 2010's as the past 10 years -- so we are now in a new decade. Either way, this next 10 years will be a time of great change, maybe even more than the last decade...

It's hard for me to realize we are into a new decade and already 20 years into this century. In October, the board of aldermen met at the annual retreat to set priorities for 2020. The first priority for 2020 is the completion of the Jackson Police Department headquarters and its relocation to the new facility in May or June...

News broke last week that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are stepping away from the royal palace and pursuing life -- and independence -- elsewhere, reportedly in Canada. This, of course, upsets the order of things and has many around the world abuzz with speculation of why, what for and what not. I don't have the specifics. The only thing royal about me is that I'm a child of the King of kings, so I don't have any more insight than most people on this issue, but I do have some thoughts...

A Scott City church that has been through the devastation of seeing its facility burn beyond repair has some good news to share. Pastor Bob Lenz of Restoration Community Church, previously known as Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, told the Southeast Missourian recently plans are in place to build a new facility on a vacant field between Park Estates subdivision and Thebes Bridge near Illmo...

I think it’s time we all say a prayer for our soldiers who have recently been deployed to the Middle East. Please come home safe. With the Missouri Department of Transportation’s last outer roads in which they built, and the numerous people who have been killed on them due to the curves and hills they leave in or put in, MoDOT needs to just design and build roller coaster rides instead....

On Oct. 11, 2012, Jackson native Maj. Garrett Knowlan died in an Air Force training exercise in Pensacola, Florida. At the time of this tragic accident, his father and local attorney Jack Knowlan told the Southeast Missourian the family was focused on how Garrett's life could inspire others...

Did you notice how presidential President Donald Trump appeared at his press conference on Iran? It was a fitting symbol for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's colossal failure in withholding the impeachment articles from the Senate. Whatever Pelosi's loony strategy -- her unorthodox decision to withhold is only about strategy and not principle -- she has ensured that the hyperpartisan impeachment will be viewed for exactly what it was. ...

In a world where we hear so much negative, I wanted to share a word of positive -- a thank you to what an amazing community we have in Cape Girardeau! Each year La Croix church puts on a Christmas party for the 170 men of Teen Challenge. Beginning in October, we solicit funds and help from the community for funds and food to feed and present gifts to these men. ...

Poverty is not simply a monetary issue. It's about a lack of resources, tools and proactive intervention. That was the message shared to the Southeast Missourian recently by Laura Findlay, director of Safe Families for Children's Southeast Missouri chapter. The organization is a faith-based entity that works with local churches to help those in need...

Jon Rust's recent column about the future of newspapers saddens me. I know he's right, but I've always really liked newspapers and hate to see them struggle. Since the 1600's, newspapers have kept us informed. Mail brought us news for many years, then the telegraph brought it quicker. In the early 20th century radio was the standard for news, until television set a new standard. Now we have the electronic media, yet many of us still value and rely on newspapers...

For decades we have been in a proxy war with Iran, the No. 1 state sponsor of international terrorism throughout the world. Have we forgotten who was in power, releasing to Iran $1.7 billion in exchange for a weak, dangerous, unaccountable nuke treaty with a terrorist state that is rapidly working toward developing nuclear weapons? Have we forgotten which president scrapped that travesty of a crap deal and ramped up diplomatic and economic sanctions against Iran?...

After losing its top strategist, military commander and arch-terrorist, Qassem Suleimani, the Iranian theocracy is weighing responses. One, Iran can quiet down and cease military provocations. After attacking tankers off its coast, destroying an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, shooting down a U.S. drone and being responsible for the killing and wounding of Americans in Iraq, Iran could now keep quiet...

After years of providing gardening tips to Southeast Missourian readers, Paul Schnare, also known as Dr. Grow, has decided to end his regular newspaper column. While his column dates back to the mid-1990s, Schnare wrote that his connection with the newspaper goes back 60 years...

This is a quiet time of the year. Kids are back in school. Holiday obligations are over. Christmas ornaments are back in storage. In my house, without the twinkling lights, the space seems a little forlorn, a feeling compounded by gray skies and bare trees outside. With the early darkness and long nights, it's a perfect time to set the cooking aside for an evening and go out to dinner!...

I got fed up with politics some time ago, and times like these remind me why. The barrage of responses to President Trump's order to kill Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani is expected. But the accusations that he did so to distract from impeachment proceedings are ridiculous and disheartening...

If you want to support a cause and have a good time doing so, there are plenty of opportunities locally. And on New Year's Eve, more than 400 people turned out for the 10th annual St. Jude New Year's Eve Benefit held at Drury Plaza Hotel Cape Girardeau Conference Center...

First, let me say I don't think the minimum wage increase is a bad thing. A working person needs to make a decent wage. There are consequences, as the companies required to increase the pay for employees are not going to absorb the added cost. For example, one year ago, I could go to a local fast food restaurant and get a large drink, one small fry and two hamburgers for $4.11. ...