Thoughts for the Day, October 22, 2025: The greatest day in MLB history and loyalty is all that matters.

The greatest individual performance in the history of the MLB.

On Friday, Los Angeles Dodger pitcher and designated hitter, Shohei Ohtani, had the greatest individual performance in MLB history. In the National League Championship clinching game, Ohtani was the starting pitcher and the designated hitter. As a pitcher he pitched six innings of shutout baseball, while striking out 10 Milwaukee Brewers’ hitters. As the designated hitter, Ohtani hit three solo home runs, including a leadoff home run as the leadoff hitter for the Dodgers. He also had a walk as he reached base four times in four at bats as the Dodgers won the game 5-1 to advance to the World Series.

Ohtani’s record performance will last for a very long time, unless he breaks it himself.

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Opulence of Royalty

After hearing of the daring heist at the Louvre this weekend, I was curious to see what was stolen. The eight items stolen belonged to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napolean III. As I looked at the pictures of the stolen items, I was shocked by the opulence of the items. The eight items contained thousands of diamonds, hundreds of emeralds and pearls, all set in gold and silver.

I found my stomach turning at the thought the amount of wealth that the royal families of countries such as France and England have accumulated. It made me think of the quote, “It is good to be king.”

On Monday I saw the pictures of the first stages of the demolition of the East Wing of the White House to turn it into a 90,000 square foot ballroom so President Trump can properly entertain his guests in a manor he sees fit for a president. Combine that with the garnish remodeling of the oval office and it is clear to me that Trump views himself as king, with power over whatever he desires, including changing the White House, which belongs to the citizens of the United States, into his own version of a king’s palace.

Everything Trump is doing demonstrates his desire to be king. He said during his campaign that he was only going to be a king for one day. He lied.

On Sunday, he posted an AI generated video with him in a king’s garb and king’s crown flying a fighter jet over major U.S. cities while dropping shit on the cities.

Trump loves the power and opulence that comes with being king. He wants to be king, and the Republican congress and SCOTUS are allowing it to happen. It is up to the rest of us to win our democracy back from this would be king. Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstrations was a good start.

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The Shutdown

It is day 22 and there is no end in sight.

Per the NY Times. By almost any measure, Congress is failing. And flailing.

The government is shut down for the 22nd day, with many federal workers not being paid, agencies and museums closed, and top lawmakers making no serious effort to resolve the disruptive impasse. Congressional staff members have begun referring to themselves as volunteers.

The House has, quite literally, ground to a halt. The chamber has not voted since Sept. 19 and Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to call members back, preventing them from doing any legislative work. He has refused to seat a new duly elected Democratic member from Arizona one month after her victory, though he encouraged her to return home and work for constituents she does not yet officially represent because he won’t administer her the oath of office.

In the meantime, President Trump is using the shutdown to take over the country’s finances while Congress sits back and allows it to happen. From Trump’s perspective, there is no urgency to solve the shutdown.

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Loyalty is the only thing that matters.

Once again Trump proved that the only thing that matters is loyalty to him above and beyond anything else.

Per the WSJ. President Trump on Friday commuted the sentence of Republican former Rep. George Santos, who reported to prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Friday evening, saying that he signed a commutation that would release Santos from prison immediately. “George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” he wrote.

In 2024, Santos admitted that he participated in a scheme to submit false campaign-finance reports and artificially inflate the amount he raised. Santos was sentenced to just over seven years in prison, and began serving his sentence in July.

A Trump loyalist, Santos flipped a Democratic district in New York during the 2022 midterms. But his term was cut short when he was expelled from Congress in late 2023.

When the House voted in December 2023 to expel Santos, it was only the sixth expulsion from the chamber and the first of a member who wasn’t a convicted felon or a member of the Confederacy. The move came after a bipartisan House Ethics Committee investigation found “substantial evidence” of wrongdoing.

More than 100 House Republicans joined nearly all Democrats to vote for his formal removal, exceeding the two-thirds threshold required. Republican leadership at the time was vehemently opposed, in part because it meant one less seat for the party when they already had a narrow majority.

“The victims of his crimes still have not been made whole, including the people he stole from and the voters he defrauded. He has shown no remorse,” said Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R., N.Y.), one of the Republicans who served on the Ethics Committee during the Santos investigation. “The less than three months that he spent in prison is not justice,” he added in a statement. This is my Quote of the Day

Trump gets my Onion of the Day for this slap in the face to all Americans. Loyalty is all that matters. The hucksters are always looking out for one another.

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My next blog will be on Tuesday October 30.

I will be out of town from Saturday through Monday to attend a funeral in Edwardsville Illinois. On Tuesday, I hope to get back to writing my blog four days per week on Monday through Thursday.

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Quote of the Day: “The victims of his crimes still have not been made whole, including the people he stole from and the voters he defrauded. He has shown no remorse,” said Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R., N.Y.), one of the Republicans who served on the Ethics Committee during the Santos investigation. “The less than three months that he spent in prison is not justice,” he added in a statement.

Orchid of the Day: The Detroit Lions’ defense for the incredible performance Monday night in holding the high-flying offense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to only nine points. The Lions missed their top four defensive backs going into the game and lost another during the game. ESPN commentator and former Super Bowl champion quarterback, Troy Aikman, called it the greatest defensive performance he has ever seen.

Onion of the Day: Trump for pardoning Santos. A total slap in the face to all Americans. This is one huckster pardoning another huckster. Birds of a feather will always stick together.

Question of the Day: The World Series starts Friday with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the Toronto Blue Jays. Will the Dodgers be able to repeat as champions?

Lyrics of the Day: You show us everything you’ve got. You keep on dancin’ and the room gets hot. You drive us wild; we’ll drive you crazy.

You say you wanna go for a spin. The party’s just begun. We’ll let you in.
You drive us wild. We’ll drive you crazy. You keep on shoutin’. You keep on shoutin’.

If you know the answer, send me the answer in the comments section of the blog or email me at thomasdbiggs@gmail.com.

Lyrics of the Day for October 15, 2025. Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf

Image of the Day: Ace Frehley of Kizz, who passed away last week at the age of 74. Frehley was the lead guitarist on one of the most underappreciated rock and roll bands of all time. RIP Ace.

KISS - “Rock And Roll All Nite” VIDEO (franKENstein 50th Anniversary Remix)

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