Say one thing for me: I have truly dreadful timing. On Monday morning, I left the state of Maine. Since I completed my graduate degree, I had been living there while (unsuccessfully) looking for work all over the United States. I felt like I was shooting arrows into the fog, hoping to hit something without... Continue Reading →
Memorable Careers: Jake Westbrook
It’s time to revive my favorite series for Standing Room Only: Memorable Careers. In this series, Scott and I pick some of our all time favorite players. The only rule we have here is that the players we pick to profile cannot be major franchise icons. They have to be players that may fly under... Continue Reading →
The Beautiful Absurdity of Spring Training Baseball
Baseball is back! Well, sort of. Spring Training baseball is back. And while it doesn't have the same intensity or emotional verve as regular season baseball, there are a few things that make spring baseball both beautiful and patently absurd The Beautiful Absurdity of "This One (Doesn't) Count" Old faces, new places...useless scorelines "Hey Scott,... Continue Reading →
Presidential Candidates…as Baseball Teams!
Like many civic-minded Americans last night, I was watching the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates debate on stage in Nevada. Also like many Americans, I was only half listening, spending most of the debate scrolling through Twitter rather than analyzing the rhetorical takedowns and theoretical government policy. (And, really, how many times do we need to... Continue Reading →
My Airing of Grievances: The Astros, Manfred, and the State of Major League Baseball
Baseball is in a weird place. It has been one of the strangest offseasons I can ever remember as a fan. While big money was spent on free agents (finally), we saw almost a third of franchises change managers, a cheating scandal grab the attention of the sporting world, and a commissioner fail to truly... Continue Reading →
Hello, Friends
That's how CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz begins all of his broadcasts. "Hello, friends." It's a reassurance, welcoming listeners to pop in, stay a while, put your feet up, grab a cold one from the fridge, and join the festivities. Jim Nantz has never called a baseball game, but that trademark of welcoming listeners in as... Continue Reading →