Category Archives: Sports

BASEBALL AND COMPROMISE.

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Philip

BASEBALL AND COMPROMISE. Gerald Seib in the Wall Street Journal (July 17) quotes George Will: “I always thought baseball was the right sport for democracy because there is so much losing….Democracy is the system of the half loaf. Nobody gets … Continue reading →

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BASEBALL IS NOT THE BEAUTIFUL GAME.

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Philip

BASEBALL IS NOT THE BEAUTIFUL GAME. I have never heard anybody refer to baseball as “the beautiful game”. Indeed, back in the 1980’s the White Sox won a division title, and, during the year, a rival manager said that the … Continue reading →

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FRANCE’S COACH DEFENDS THEIR WORLD CUP VICTORY.

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Philip

FRANCE’S COACH DEFENDS THEIR WORLD CUP VICTORY. France’s coach is quoted by Joshua Robinson in today’s Wall Street Journal: “You may wonder, is France a beautiful champion?….Well, we are world champions and we will be on top of the world … Continue reading →

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OFFENSE IN SOCCER IS BEAUTIFUL; DEFENSE IS NOT.

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Philip

OFFENSE IN SOCCER IS BEAUTIFUL; DEFENSE IS NOT. The Meichtry and Robinson article says that Didier Deschamps, the French coach, is blamed by many French fans for emphasizing defense: “A typical Deschamps victory is a low-scoring affair, where players clamp … Continue reading →

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WINNING WITH STYLE IN THE BEAUTIFUL GAME.

Posted on July 14, 2018 by Philip

WINNING WITH STYLE IN THE BEAUTIFUL GAME. France is playing Croatia tomorrow in the finals of the 2018 World Cup. Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article by Stacy Meichtry and Joshua Robinson that reports that many French soccer fans … Continue reading →

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A SUGGESTION FOR SOCCER TIE BREAKS.

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Philip

A SUGGESTION FOR SOCCER TIE BREAKS. I posted here during the 2010 World Cup about ways American lovers of baseball can argue with fans of “the beautiful game” (which, surprisingly, soccer is sometimes called). Suggestions included making scoring easier and … Continue reading →

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“DUCK, DUCK, GRAY GOOSE” AND THE PERSISTENCE OF FOLKWAYS.

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Philip

“DUCK, DUCK, GRAY GOOSE” AND THE PERSISTENCE OF FOLKWAYS. Another important book that is touched upon by “Duck, Duck, Gray Goose” is David Hackett Fischer’s ALBION’S SEED: FOUR BRITISH FOLKWAYS IN AMERICA, which is summarized in this wikipedia entry. ALBION’S … Continue reading →

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“DUCK, DUCK, GRAY GOOSE.”

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Philip

“DUCK, DUCK, GRAY GOOSE.” Annalisa sent me this article by Heather Brown about how the game of “Duck, Duck, Goose” is played in Minnesota. The game was one of my favorites in first and second grade. The players sit in … Continue reading →

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THE FIRST TIME I USED COLORED TENNIS BALLS.

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Philip

THE FIRST TIME I USED COLORED TENNIS BALLS. Kids, tennis balls used to be white. I spent a week at a lake in Canada in 1970 and again in 1971. The lodge had a tennis court attached to it, with … Continue reading →

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TENNIS BALLS—THE RETURN OF THE BLUE DRESS.

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Philip

TENNIS BALLS—THE RETURN OF THE BLUE DRESS. The other explanation offered by Koren is that the problem is the same as the problem of the blue dress that I posted on a number of times, including here. The issue, much … Continue reading →

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