Category Archives: Baseball Culture

Injury as Metaphor

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Patrick

It’s often the case that sportswriters are in the business of creating metaphors.  Certainly, there’s plenty of work to be done with regards to reporting the day’s events, at least until the robots take over.  But eventually, given the cyclical … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Theater in the Round: Jose Valverde, Ritual, and Performance

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Ted

Yesterday morning I drove across the Mississippi River, the Velvet Underground playing on the stereo, and thought about Jose Valverde. Like Lou Reed, Jose Valverde understands performance. He understands, on some stratum beneath consciousness, that his job is to channel … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

Unleash the Beast by Matt Christman

Posted on October 10, 2011 by admin

Matt Christman is a freelance writer, film critic, and exiled Brewers fan living in Brooklyn. Due to its draconian penalties against excessive celebration and general horsing off, some wags say that “NFL” stands for “No Fun League,” but that’s actually … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The Best Show, the Best Game and the Boundaries of Every Creative Universe

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Ted

“WFMU, you’re on the air.” With that simple phrase, delivered honestly and expectantly, host Tom Scharpling starts most of the phone calls in to his Best Show on WFMU (iTunes link here). The voice that chirps up is often idiosyncratically familiar, … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Defiling Baseball’s Stonehenge

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Patrick

We tend to think of the baseball field as something static, a quiet temple or a sanctuary for youth.  This is especially true at the stadium: the field takes on a beauty that borders on lifelessness.  The grass is shorn … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Asceticism and the Baseball Fan

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Patrick

I began the evening writing about Derek Jeter: it’s the sort of thing one does out of obligation, a futile action that marks one as a Baseball Writer.  It’s seven o’clock and a faceless tweet reminds me that the Mariners … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture, Meta | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

#EARPLUGS

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Eric

In honor of Milton Bradley and his earplugs, Ted and I have decided to begin a campaign. In the tradition of the Rangers’ #claw and #antlers gestures, we want to get the Mariners — not just Milton to begin using … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Charlie Sheen is Mr. Baseball

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Ted

For all of the madness that Charlie Sheen has injected into the pop culture conversation of late, there’s a side note, a low harmonic hum just beneath the blaring orchestra of drugs and sex, that bears noting here: the man … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture, Kooks, Pop Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Descent into Doucheyness?

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Ted

As the Giants ran towards a World Series victory last year, Brian Wilson was a pleasant surprise: a ballplayer with equal parts focus and humor. He appeared in odd places, and said funny things about himself and the game. His … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture, Media | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Words Get Out: Miguel Cabrera and the Life of Language

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Ted

“You don’t know anything about my problems.” – Miguel Cabrera “I am a rock, I am an island.” – Paul Simon Cabrera’s words read like a motto of the disenfranchised, like a stray line of dialogue from a John Hughes … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments