Category Archives: Sports

BREW ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE—REVISITED.

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Philip

BREW ANOTHER POT OF COFFEE—REVISITED. I posted here two seasons ago about everybody involved in a major league game—the umpire, the players on both teams, the managers—losing track of the ball and strike count on a batter. It’s happened again. … Continue reading →

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“THIS IS THE WAY OLD ‘CASEY’ STENGEL RAN….”

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Philip

“THIS IS THE WAY OLD ‘CASEY’ STENGEL RAN….” The Wall Street Journal had a squib today on the fact that Luke Scott took 35.7 seconds to round the bases on his home run the other night. (Scott strained his hamstring … Continue reading →

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HOW TO FIX SOCCER—A GUIDE FOR AMERICANS.

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Philip

HOW TO FIX SOCCER—A GUIDE FOR AMERICANS. A friend of mine used to tease—to devastating effect—a soccer fan we both knew. Imagine an American teasing a European who keeps talking about the “beautiful game.” My friend would start with the … Continue reading →

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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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“…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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70 TO 68.

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Philip

70 to 68. When a baseball game goes past about the 14th inning, it always seems to me that the intensity of the game increases. The players know as well as the fans that they are part of something special. … Continue reading →

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59 TO 59 IN THE 5TH SET.

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Philip

59 TO 59 IN THE 5TH SET. As darkness fell today at Wimbledon, Nicolas Mahut and John Isner were tied in the 5th set at 59 to 59 (article here). They had been playing that 5th set all day, for … Continue reading →

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DOMED STADIUMS AND PINBALL MACHINES.

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Philip

DOMED STADIUMS AND PINBALL MACHINES. Kids, you may never have encountered Marshall McLuhan, but he was a very influential critic in the sixties. I always found him interesting. McLuhan was a professor of literature who became increasingly interested in the … Continue reading →

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