Monthly Archives: June 2010

IN DEFENSE OF SOCCER REFEREES.

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Philip

IN DEFENSE OF SOCCER REFEREES. FIFA has sent home from the World Cup what this article calls “blundering referees.” W. Edwards Deming, the quality guru, used to say that errors were caused by the system, and not by people. Although … Continue reading →

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THE ONLY GOOD ARGUMENT AGAINST INSTANT REPLAY IN BASEBALL.

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Philip

THE ONLY GOOD ARGUMENT AGAINST INSTANT REPLAY IN BASEBALL. I posted here about the bad call by an umpire which cost Armando Gallaraga a perfect game as yet another argument for more use of instant replay in baseball. If you … Continue reading →

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PLAYWRIGHTS AND STATISTICS.

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Philip

PLAYWRIGHTS AND STATISTICS. A difficulty confronting the statistical analysts of Shakespeare’s plays is that they reach different conclusions. Lukas Erne in his review summarizes the findings of contemporary scholars about Henry VI, Part I. Gary Taylor: Part I is by … Continue reading →

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WHO WROTE THE HENRY VI PLAYS?

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Philip

WHO WROTE THE HENRY VI PLAYS? When Mary Jane and I saw Rose Rage, the Chicago Shakespeare Company’s wonderful performance of the three Henry VI plays, I had the feeling throughout that what I was watching was written by Shakespeare. … Continue reading →

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FIGURING OUT WHO SHAKESPEARE’S COLLABORATORS WERE.

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Philip

FIGURING OUT WHO SHAKESPEARE’S COLLABORATORS WERE. How do scholars determine that Shakespeare had collaborators on a play? One current way is by statistical analysis. Lukas Erne in the Times Literary Supplement (June 4, 2010) writes about the “growing consensus…that Shakespeare … Continue reading →

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HOW RAFFISH WAS SHAKESPEARE?

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Philip

HOW RAFFISH WAS SHAKESPEARE? I mentioned what I had read about George Wilkins, the brothelkeeper and collaborator with Shakespeare, to a friend of Nick’s who has acted in Pericles. He smiled and said something about how that was consistent with … Continue reading →

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SHAKESPEARE’S LOW-LIFE COLLABORATOR.

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Philip

SHAKESPEARE’S LOW-LIFE COLLABORATOR. Charles Nicholl wrote a book, THE LODGER: SHAKESPEARE ON SILVER STREET, about Shakespeare’s testimony in a court case involving his landlord. Nicholl has an article in the London Review of Books (June 24, 2010) which contains new … Continue reading →

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REPEAT 840 TIMES.

Posted on June 26, 2010 by Philip

REPEAT 840 TIMES. The epic tennis match reminded me of a Talk of the Town piece I read in the New Yorker, apparently in 1963. The piece described the performance of a musical composition by Eric Satie. This wikipedia article … Continue reading →

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“…AND THE GAME GOES ON FOREVER.”

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Philip

“…AND THE GAME GOES ON FOREVER.” T. Coreghessan Boyle wrote “The Hector Quesadilla Story” about a major league baseball player named Hector Quesadilla. Hector is on the downward arc of his long career, hanging on as a pinch hitter/utility infielder. … Continue reading →

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WELL PLAYED.

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Philip

WELL PLAYED. The great Isner-Mahut match was played at a very high level. You couldn’t have had such a long match if that weren’t the case. If either player had lost form or made mistakes, the set would have ended … Continue reading →

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