Deeply rooted in the American conscious is a belief in progress, that America exists to lead the way to a better, brighter future. This belief grew out of the possibilities embedded in the landscape of the country; there was enough land to exploit that each European settler could find prosperity for himself. The Industrial Revolution…
I was scrolling Twitter yesterday and I came across something that sent a chill down my spine and sent me into the doldrums for a quick second. This wasn’t an injury or a bad call. Instead, it was the sight of a man being stripped of his individual creativity. It was a screencap of Edwin…
On Friday it was announced that The Good Place will end after its upcoming fourth season. Mike Schur, its creator, attributed this end to the natural conclusion of the story, which the writers had planned from the beginning. It’s incredibly rare for American television shows to reach such an end. Either they end prematurely, like…
The NCAA baseball tournament and the Women’s College World Series are in full swing and it’s an exciting time to watch the college game. It just so happens that this moment of fun-yet-intense baseball coincides with the annual MLB Draft, which started yesterday. Compared to other sports, the MLB Draft is almost quaint in its…
Life is more or less a series of mistakes, and atonement for these mistakes. Some are so miniscule that forgiveness is a foregone conclusion. Others are so damaging and irreversible that asking for forgiveness seems foolish no matter how many decades have passed. The closer we come to the end, the more heavily our mistakes…
Last weekend, as I cleaned out my parents’ basement, I discovered a notebook not much bigger than a baseball card, the leather aged into plastic. Slipped into the front pocket is a little card, bearing a signature beneath the words, “The Museum of Modern Art, West Fifty-Third Street, New York 19, N.Y., Vern Mittlestadt, Date…
The 1930 Vaudeville comedy “They Learned About Women” tells the story of Jack and Jerry, two professional baseball players who tour the Vaudeville stage during the offseason. Both Jack and Jerry fall in love with the young, ‘innocent’ team secretary, Mary. Jack initially wins Mary’s affection, but soon after abandons both her and Jerry in…
The Cincinnati Reds game was delayed by bees the other day, a swarm of them that had congregated on one of the seats. Derek Dietrich did exactly what you’re not supposed to do in that situation, pretending to spray them rather than just calling a local apiarist. If you see a bee swarm, don’t worry…
It’s a widely held belief that the best way to enjoy baseball is by listening to it on the radio. It best captures the timeless nature of the sport, narrating present day events while imparting the feeling of a lazy summer day spent sitting by the dock at your grandparents’ cottage. It provides the perfect…
One of my favorite things about baseball is that just when you think things are starting to get even a tiny bit mundane, something will happen during a game that will remind you of just how much fun this game can get when things enter into the arena of absurdity. We ended up getting two…
Symbols provide hope to the powerless. They connect people who are isolated, universalizing experiences and silently voicing calls to action. From the raised fist of the IWW to the rainbow flag, symbols have been at the forefront of social and political movements throughout history, anchoring concrete plights and aims to universal characters. But the passage…
Last night, Orioles fans got to celebrate the rare occasion of seeing their favorite baseball team win a game. They did so in emphatic fashion, as they beat the A’s by eight runs. They even squeezed in a Little League home run and if you haven’t seen it, you should watch that highlight immediately because…
The Braves got battered by the Phillies this past Sunday night. The game capped off a series sweep for Philadelphia where everything that could possibly go right for them, did. It was also a series that confirmed all of the concerns that Braves fans had for their team throughout the entire offseason. Atlanta’s pitching staff…
Traducido por José M. Hernández Lagunes Charlie Hollocher y las razones para olvidar A lo largo de su larga historia, el béisbol profesional ha considerado a muchos jugadores como el “hombre olvidado”, la mayoría abandonados porque no eran lo suficientemente buenos o porque no permanecieron el tiempo suficiente. Sin embargo, unos pocos han sido olvidados…
Throughout its lengthy history, professional baseball has deemed many players to be the “forgotten man,” most left behind because they weren’t skilled enough or weren’t around for long enough. However, a select few have been forgotten because forgetting them allows us to live more comfortably, without the confusion of painful questions hovering over our heads….
Because we are, all of us, such right-thinking people, we concern ourselves very greatly with the plight of the young men who are currently being exploited in the minor leagues for less than the minimum wage and being paid far below the poverty line. Those who are being manipulated and lied about and cheated out…