I wish I could stick to sports, but I can't

If this was a normal time, I would be blogging about several sports-related things, such as the Mets' flurry of recent moves that have helped make the team far better than it was after getting rid of core players like Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo. (Is the January 2026 version better than the January 2025 version? Not really sure.)

I might also have talked about our beloved Oswego Lakers men's ice hockey team, which rallied from a 4-1 deficit at Plattsburgh to defeat the Cardinals 5-4 on Saturday, in what might have been the biggest win of the season so far. I might even have shared how I am looking forward to the start of MLB spring training, which is only about two weeks away.

But I cannot talk about that right now, not with what's happening in our country. Not with what's happening in Minnesota.

We do not often discuss politics or national/global topics on our podcast and in these blogs because there are an infinite number of traditional and online media outlets that cover them, and in today's climate, these topics are more polarizing than they’ve ever been, at least in my lifetime. In many cases, Throwing Bagels is like an escape for me, Chris and Jason to talk about SUNY Oswego and the Mets and corrupt FIFA and a lot of other things, while, at least temporarily, ignoring what's going on outside of our little space.

My heart goes out to the people of Minneapolis, who have had two of its citizens - Renee Good and Alex Pretti - killed by federal agents within weeks of each other. In both cases, video evidence showed that they did not pose any threat; despite that, they were subject to increasingly aggressive confrontations by the agents until they were killed. It is an incredibly traumatic time for Minnesota, and for America as a nation, and to simply close our eyes and ears to it does more harm than good.

The Bill of Rights contains the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, which granted us the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right to a trial by jury, and much more. These rights that we have are very much in danger, and if we continue to collectively "stick to sports" and keep our heads in the sand, we will lose each and every one of them. The rights granted across the other 17 amendments, including birthright citizenship and the right to vote, are just as vulnerable.

I could go on for another ten thousand pages, but that's not really why you visit our website, which we are very grateful for, by the way! There are people out there who can articulate the state of our nation much better than I can - after all, I am just an idiot behind a keyboard.

I would very much like to get back to a time where I can focus exclusively on sports, and a time where my biggest disappointment in life is when one of my favorite teams fails yet again to win a championship. And maybe - hopefully - we can get back to that time at some point. But until then, do not be afraid to use your voice. Do not be afraid to use your vote.

Use them, or lose them.