I was just over at that New Yorker page and read Angell’s appreciation of his stepfather, EB White… extraordinary.
Like you, I’ve always wanted to write like him but I had to settle for embracing his love of language and willingness to bring in strange analogies for fun and enlightenment.
So yeah, the Twins are going to make the playoffs regardless and yeah, previous playoff results are not indicative of what will happen with this year's version, but do they *really* want to keep themselves locked into a 4-5 match up with their two-decade tormentors from the Bronx?
One minor correction about fans in the stands: The Jaguars has fans Sunday (and there’s all sorts of jokes available about them finally being among league leaders in attendance), and the Browns has fans last night too.
I think the Chiefs were just the first team to have fans show up and then have the players’ tests come back...and it was called a success by the league because no players or staff got sick. (Who cares about the fans!) Of course, there was one groundskeeper who showed up positive, but he was only deemed a “level three” person so that’s ok I guess.
The Score wasn't really pre 9/11 America. It was pre 9/11 Canada. Though obviously, the level of security at the site of the heist would be exponentially higher. I often say that the two big things that have changed about crime fiction are the rise of the surveillance state and the rise of the cellphone. Just watching Columbo, it strikes me how often the lack of cameras helps the murderer, and how much Columbo relies on "I told HQ I could be reached here."
And speaking of surveillance, Craig, I recently saw Blow-Out, and I am curious what you think of it. It struck me as the B-movie version of The Conversation, less smart and more tawdry but just as much a product of the age of conspiracy films that The Conversation epitomizes.
Oh, and the Mets are not dead yet. They probably will be, but the Isles eliminated last night and the Giants and the Jets clearly going nowhere, the Mets are all I have left right now.
Us Mets fans like to think we have a monopoly on baseball pain, but it's got to be tough to be a Phillies fan and watch late inning leads turn into losses every day. But hey, they still win more than the Mets do.
The Mets tried to have their own bullpen meltdowns in both the 8th and 9th, but could quite manage to ruin it. In the 8th Justin Wilson was brought in for the third day in a row, but hey he only needs to get one lefty out and they'll be out of the inning, right? But he walks Harper on 4 pitches, and uh-oh, 3 batter rule. He walks Bohm next to load the bases in a tie game. He still has to face one more batter before they can take him out, and he's so wild there's no way he can throw 3 strikes before he throws 4 balls. He goes 2-0 on Gregorious, so now he's thrown 10 balls and only 2 strikes and isn't even close most pitches, and then Wilson manages to put one over the plate...and Gregorious inexplicably swings at it and flies out.
Yes, had Didi gotten a hit with that swing he'd be the big hero. But at that point yo have about a 90% chance of pushing home the go ahead run if you just stand there and walk. Even if Didi would have a .400 batting average in that situation, the odds are still way more in your favor to just let Wilson self-destruct.
Your riff on the Faberge egg reminded me of the "Frasier" episode when they find out, via "Antiques Roadshow", that they own an heirloom clock from Tsarist Russia. To their amazement, Frasier, Niles and Martin find they all enjoy watching the show and create a drinking game for it. To this day, I still shout "Veneer!" whenever I hear the word.
We've been using microfiber cloths (almost) exclusively in place of paper towels for over a year now and have been very pleased with the results. Would be interested to get your take after you've had chance to run them through their paces for a few cycles.
The idea of municipalities getting a cut from streaming services seems ludicrous to me. What do they have to do with the municipality? Do they have any local presence at al in these towns and cities? How is it and different than subscribing to a magazine or to Cup of Coffee with Craig Calcaterra aside from the fact that they are profitable?
The Faberge egg bit reminded me of the Broadway musical Anastasia. I saw it in NYC before The Great Collapse. It's a little melodramatic but very good. Christy Altomare is a national treasure. If you were a Broadway guy, Craig, you riff on how veteran actor John Bolton (no, not that guy) steals the show, steals every scene he's in and finally gets his due.
Thrilled to see a shout out for Denver Public Library’s matinee movie series with Walter Chaw. They’ve been a joyous experience among all the struggles of these past months. Chaw achieves something special in his criticism, an artist in his own right. Definitely suggest folks pop into the discussion.
Also, what was I doing on my 28th birthday? Well, my birthday is March 7 and my son was born November 30th of that same year. Math tells me it was probably a pretty good birthday. I mean, not two homers great, but I'll take it.
I don't think Donaldson would have fielded that hit by Abreu either. He would have been guarding the line just like Adrianza. Polanco was playing a deep shortstop for a power hitter. Base hit.
I was just over at that New Yorker page and read Angell’s appreciation of his stepfather, EB White… extraordinary.
Like you, I’ve always wanted to write like him but I had to settle for embracing his love of language and willingness to bring in strange analogies for fun and enlightenment.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Angell.
So yeah, the Twins are going to make the playoffs regardless and yeah, previous playoff results are not indicative of what will happen with this year's version, but do they *really* want to keep themselves locked into a 4-5 match up with their two-decade tormentors from the Bronx?
One minor correction about fans in the stands: The Jaguars has fans Sunday (and there’s all sorts of jokes available about them finally being among league leaders in attendance), and the Browns has fans last night too.
I think the Chiefs were just the first team to have fans show up and then have the players’ tests come back...and it was called a success by the league because no players or staff got sick. (Who cares about the fans!) Of course, there was one groundskeeper who showed up positive, but he was only deemed a “level three” person so that’s ok I guess.
Brando and director Frank Oz did not get along. " I bet you wish I was a puppet so you could stick your hand up my ass and make me do what I want."
In RE: Roger Angell, logo-hemorrhage Mets/Phillies recap, etc.
Perhaps you could do an "in the style of" day of recaps every once in a while? Angell, Lardner, Hemingway, Pynchon, Chandler, Nabokov come to mind.
The Score wasn't really pre 9/11 America. It was pre 9/11 Canada. Though obviously, the level of security at the site of the heist would be exponentially higher. I often say that the two big things that have changed about crime fiction are the rise of the surveillance state and the rise of the cellphone. Just watching Columbo, it strikes me how often the lack of cameras helps the murderer, and how much Columbo relies on "I told HQ I could be reached here."
And speaking of surveillance, Craig, I recently saw Blow-Out, and I am curious what you think of it. It struck me as the B-movie version of The Conversation, less smart and more tawdry but just as much a product of the age of conspiracy films that The Conversation epitomizes.
Oh, and the Mets are not dead yet. They probably will be, but the Isles eliminated last night and the Giants and the Jets clearly going nowhere, the Mets are all I have left right now.
Us Mets fans like to think we have a monopoly on baseball pain, but it's got to be tough to be a Phillies fan and watch late inning leads turn into losses every day. But hey, they still win more than the Mets do.
The Mets tried to have their own bullpen meltdowns in both the 8th and 9th, but could quite manage to ruin it. In the 8th Justin Wilson was brought in for the third day in a row, but hey he only needs to get one lefty out and they'll be out of the inning, right? But he walks Harper on 4 pitches, and uh-oh, 3 batter rule. He walks Bohm next to load the bases in a tie game. He still has to face one more batter before they can take him out, and he's so wild there's no way he can throw 3 strikes before he throws 4 balls. He goes 2-0 on Gregorious, so now he's thrown 10 balls and only 2 strikes and isn't even close most pitches, and then Wilson manages to put one over the plate...and Gregorious inexplicably swings at it and flies out.
Yes, had Didi gotten a hit with that swing he'd be the big hero. But at that point yo have about a 90% chance of pushing home the go ahead run if you just stand there and walk. Even if Didi would have a .400 batting average in that situation, the odds are still way more in your favor to just let Wilson self-destruct.
I bought a package of shop rags in lieu of paper towels back in March, and we've been using them for basic cleaning and hand drying ever since.
Your riff on the Faberge egg reminded me of the "Frasier" episode when they find out, via "Antiques Roadshow", that they own an heirloom clock from Tsarist Russia. To their amazement, Frasier, Niles and Martin find they all enjoy watching the show and create a drinking game for it. To this day, I still shout "Veneer!" whenever I hear the word.
We've been using microfiber cloths (almost) exclusively in place of paper towels for over a year now and have been very pleased with the results. Would be interested to get your take after you've had chance to run them through their paces for a few cycles.
How about something like a “Friday stories from the archive” where we delve into the weirdness of covering baseball.
Simple stuff like editing missing “Dog Fister”
Or a center fielder from the Rays blocking you in the twitters over cat tweets.
Could have legs.
The idea of municipalities getting a cut from streaming services seems ludicrous to me. What do they have to do with the municipality? Do they have any local presence at al in these towns and cities? How is it and different than subscribing to a magazine or to Cup of Coffee with Craig Calcaterra aside from the fact that they are profitable?
The Faberge egg bit reminded me of the Broadway musical Anastasia. I saw it in NYC before The Great Collapse. It's a little melodramatic but very good. Christy Altomare is a national treasure. If you were a Broadway guy, Craig, you riff on how veteran actor John Bolton (no, not that guy) steals the show, steals every scene he's in and finally gets his due.
Thrilled to see a shout out for Denver Public Library’s matinee movie series with Walter Chaw. They’ve been a joyous experience among all the struggles of these past months. Chaw achieves something special in his criticism, an artist in his own right. Definitely suggest folks pop into the discussion.
It's a mad world, indeed, Craig.
Also, what was I doing on my 28th birthday? Well, my birthday is March 7 and my son was born November 30th of that same year. Math tells me it was probably a pretty good birthday. I mean, not two homers great, but I'll take it.
I don't think Donaldson would have fielded that hit by Abreu either. He would have been guarding the line just like Adrianza. Polanco was playing a deep shortstop for a power hitter. Base hit.