It’s a good thing that Torquemada is gone

It was not a particularly well-planned (or entirely welcome) commentary on an evening when the LGBTQ+ community was being recognized; the angst has now become a cause celebrate in some corners.

The ensuing brouhaha has almost taken on the mantle of a religious argument. As a result, there is a distinct whiff of heresy in the air: If doubt or objection to a prevailing tenet of promoted faith, whether official or not, you risk shame and condemnation from bloviating bigwigs near and far.

On the other side of this kerfuffle, even poo-bahs from the Catholic Church and the U.S. Department of Justice have weighed in as if the republic was experiencing some sort of civic or cultural cataclysm. We can only be thankful that the dreaded Torquemada and his Spanish Inquisition are long gone from the scene.

The eager media, of course, is having a field day stoking the flames of distress over the perceived meaning behind the Good Book’s rainbow-related Genesis phrasing on those infamous caps. At this rate, can hate crime charges be much longer in coming? Don’t bet against it. We dwell in a Bizarro World of nonstop grievance and festering unhappiness.

On the other hand, the uniform controversy has accomplished at least one important thing. It has deflected attention away from the team’s horrendous performance on the field.

The Giants, LGBTQ+ issues or not, remain one of professional baseball’s very worst teams by any metric you care to use. The current season has become one to forget.

So, in a very real ways, it’s probably far better for those following the dismal fortunes of S.F.’s team to worry and wonder about the message contained in the writing on a player’s attire than the glaring overabundance of defeats and displays of inept baseball that continue to pile up in relentless fashion day after depressing day.

To wrap up this painful topic, it’s probably safe to say that those ballplayers will think twice about trying to make a uniform statement again, Bible-related or not.

PREVIOUS SETUP WORKED WELL: In all of the back-and-forth attached to San Mateo County’s and the state’s lengthy election ballot-counting process, one question has never really been answered with much satisfaction, at least in this tattered corner: What was so terribly wrong and unfair about the previous system? It seemed to work well. If you wanted an absentee ballot, you could get one. Votes were quickly tallied and results posted within a reasonable amount of time. There were very few complaints. Actual in-person voting on Election Day itself was a civic/neighborhood event. You could meet and greet familiar faces and thank the precinct workers in person. The setup was professional and functioned smoothly. People tended to look forward to it as a way to connect with one another. Not so much now. In-person voting is pretty much passe. We tinkered — everyone receives a mailed ballot now whether they want it or not — and now we see the unhappy result.

NEW EXHIBIT TO BE UNVEILED: A new Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame exhibit dedicated to the memory of the late Tom Martinez will be unveiled Thursday evening as part of the 2026 Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City. Martinez, who passed away in 2012, coached three sports at the College of San Mateo for just over three decades (football and women’s basketball and softball), winning more than 1,400 games in the process. This week’s affair is sold out.