Spectator A.M. #2097

My Ears Still Ring

I spent a wild night in Malaga, Spain, watching the Spanish soccer team defeat Argentina to win the 2026 World Cup. From inside the sports bar to out in the streets, I documented the wild celebration @ RightWingWilderness. Please do give this quick, fun video a watch—and subscribe (it’s free!) if you have not already.

Hunter Biden: My Father’s Greatest Mistake

“My personal feeling is the single greatest mistake of my father’s administration was the leadership of Merrick Garland,” Hunter Biden said on a left-wing podcast. Despite the fact that the Justice Department did pursue charges against Donald Trump, the former president’s son apparently blames Garland for not prosecuting Trump aggressively enough. “The buck has to stop with my dad,” Hunter Biden explained. “He was the president and he chose him. Now, once he chose him, he played by the, you know, a higher standard than the Marquess of Queensberry rules. He played by the Constitution and the tradition that the president will never, you know, particularly since Nixon, involve himself in any decision-making as relates to anything at the Department of Justice.” In four separate state and federal cases, Donald Trump faced numerous charges and 717 ½ years in prison. None of the charges ultimately stuck. The Justice Department did convict Hunter Biden of various tax and gun crimes.

If Sadomasochism Were a Country

Prior to February 28, I might have described the Iranian regime as “sadistic.” Since the start of this war, the word “masochistic” more accurately describes the Iranian government. Despite numerous opportunities to not only win peace but to do so in a way that observers see them as delivering a black eye to the world’s most powerful nation, the Iranians continue to bait the United States back into war. “On July 17, two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks,” U.S. Central Command posted online. Additionally, one service member is currently missing. Four American service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals. They have since been discharged. Other personnel who were evaluated for minor injuries have returned to duty.” This ensures a prolongation of this war. Is that in the best interest of the Iranians? It would seem not. But the Iranians nonetheless pursue that course.

In Which I Go to the Bullfight in Seville

I ventured inside the Plaza de Toros in Seville, Andalusia, to watch my first bullfight. What I saw was all so unexpected. Watch my video that shows what I witnessed @ RightWingWilderness (I edited out the gory parts, which I witnessed but do not share).

Letter: Spin Doctors

Hi Dan,

I just read your article on 4-man rotations and pitch counts. The Seattle Mariners, who have a six-man rotation, have a retired pitcher as one of their commentators. He suggested that one reason for using a five-man rotation is that pitchers use much more spin on their pitches now than they did years ago and that spin is harder on the pitcher’s arm. He offered as evidence that most pitchers today have at least five different spins on their pitches (some go as high as seven) where they used to have only two or three. He also is of the opinion that this greater pitch variety is one reason why batting averages are lower than they used to be, that it is harder for the batter to anticipate what spin the pitcher will use on a given pitch. That is, a pitch of a given speed may move in any one of up to four different directions depending on the spin.

Bob Thorndike 

Bellingham, Washington

Letter: End of Reading

Daniel,

I enjoyed very much reading Ray Sheehan’s letter.

I also very much enjoyed reading the article, “The End of Reading,” you linked to. As you stated, it was a very long piece, and being a relatively slow reader my mind wanders more these days distracting me from the page. So, it took a while. I think the culprit may be, not only my age, but the too many YouTube videos I have been watching as of late—as was suggested in Ms. Horowich’s brilliant writing.

It was perhaps the most interesting thing I have read in a very long time. Thank you for providing it.

Jim Jackson

Zebulon, North Carolina