Category Archives: Thinking

Analogies

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Eric

Alex Belth of Bronx Banter, an actual authority on the subject, takes (friendly) issue with this statement from yesterday’s Milton Bradley post: Some media folks love to posit Jeter and A-Rod as opposite poles, but really they are the same … Continue reading →

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Encino Man

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Eric

When Milton Bradley was arrested recently at his home for making violent threats to a woman, I was surprised to learn that he lived in Encino, CA. Encino is a plain and pleasant section of Los Angeles right at the … Continue reading →

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Slate’s Phillips on Ronaldo

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Ted

I don’t know a lot about soccer. I’m your typical late-comer who enjoys the aesthetic side of the game without having the greatest sense of its history. I learn what I can, and I enjoy the rest. The great player … Continue reading →

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John Lardner: Writer, Sports Writer

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Eric

Ted and I were emailing recently about what makes sports writing compelling or not compelling. We write many such emails. Our basic complaint is that writing about baseball is nearly always boring and rarely transcends its subject. It rarely even … Continue reading →

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Let Yourself Believe

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Ted

The streets are empty and the business centers quiet in Baseballtown. MLBTradeRumors has the feel of a classified ad section in a small town newspaper. This just in, the Pirates are still searching for middle relief! The contrast between the … Continue reading →

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Let it Shrine, Let it Shrine

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Eric

Tomorrow the Hall of Fame will announce the admission of some new members — or it won’t. Among the likeliest candidates for enshrinement are the overdue Bert Blyleven, the super-deserving Roberto Alomar, and the weirdly controversial Jack Morris. Then there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture, Thinking | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Actually, Cliff Lee Did Sign With the Yankees

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Eric

Exactly one year ago today, I wrote about the trade that brought Roy Halladay to Philadelphia. I argued that trading a franchise player is difficult but sometimes necessary; for a franchise to remain healthy, it must at times redefine itself … Continue reading →

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Bronson+Barry

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Eric

It  just occurred to me that if things break the right way we could see a potential Bronson Arroyo vs. Barry Zito pitching match-up in the NLCS this postseason. (Things breaking the right way would  include Zito actually making the … Continue reading →

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It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Eric

I saw the guy who used to be Bob Dylan on Saturday. He wore a white hat with a wide flat brim and a mariachi’s outfit and he smiled like the riddling Cheshire troubadour of the myths. We smiled too, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Thinking | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Badness

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Eric

The question of badness amongst professional athletes has always fascinated me. The same goes for any celebrity — writer, actor, musician. How to react when a person whose work you admire leads a life that is not up to your … Continue reading →

Posted in Thinking | 6 Comments