Well, welcome, clicker! I’ll try not to let you down here, but here are a few things I’ve enjoyed this week.

The Paris Review blog’s Culture Diaries are pretty addictive. I love reading about what other people are reading and watching, and this series does it particularly well, with each contributor giving us a one week window on their cultural consumption. Sure, some of it is open to scorn or parody (especially those claiming to get up at 4.30 every morning to read some esoteric, scholarly tome), but that’s part of the fun. I’m tempted to try my own version of it, but I suspect it wouldn’t be anywhere near as highbrow. Still, it might make me highbrow for a week, just so I can look learned and fancy here. Then I can go back to watching crap TV and reading free newspapers.

In a bid to read less crap I’ve got myself an Instapaper account, and hooked it up to my fancy smartphone, so I can save long form articles to read later, at my convenience. So far I’ve read an essay on the working class in American literature and enjoyed it very much. Hopefully, this will mean I will spend more time on my phone reading quality journalism than playing Baseball Superstars. Then again, who am I kidding.

Finally, I really enjoyed the mighty Craig Calcaterra’s take on comparing baseball to pro wrestling. I’m a bit of a closet pro wrestling fan, you see. I’m sure I have a great big blog post about the wonders of wrestling somewhere. It would be a great excuse to post pictures of men from the eighties in lycra, too. Which is what we all want to see.

Well, I hope you enjoy some of these links. Maybe you could share what you’ve enjoyed over the last week?

Image by Anonymous9000 via Flickr

I figure I should just lay up and rest, and watch something that is not too taxing. While Homes Under The Hammer has a certain allure, I decide to watch last night’s Mets game, at the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Baseball, much like cricket, seems the perfect sport to relax you and let wash over you. It was a good way of keeping me laid up on the sofa, recovering, as the game went on for a mighty four and a half hours. I did take a lengthy snooze-break in-between.

After all that, they lost. And they didn’t even play that well. Since the All-Star break they have only won once, and that was after a duff call from the umpire gifted them the game.

Still, they were there for me all day as I felt sorry for myself. So I won’t be too hard on them.

Baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, marks the passing of time particularly strongly, from the hope of Spring Training to the play-offs marking a year near its end. The All-Star break symbolically marks the season at its halfway mark, and there is something rather sad about that. Is summer already on its way out – even though it is only July? Are we really so close to those cold days with no sun and no baseball?Well, I won’t let myself get melancholy, or melodramatic, just yet. There is still a lot of summer to enjoy, and a lot of baseball to be consumed, starting with last night’s Mets/Giants game.

I managed to sneak in a couple of innings ‘watching time’ first thing this morning, and then settled into a day’s work with the archived WFAN radio broadcast. This was an opportunity to properly get back into the baseball, and also to make the most of a great game with my two favourite pitchers.

RA Dickey of the Mets is a knuckleballer – my favourite kind of pitcher. Well, what’s a knuckleballer, or a knuckleball for that matter, you ask? Well, let Wikipedia be our guide:

“A knuckleball (or knuckler for short) is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even corkscrew—in mid-flight. This makes the pitch difficult for batters to hit, but also difficult for pitchers  to control. The challenge also extends to the catcher, who must at least attempt to catch the pitch, and the umpire, who must determine whether the pitch was a strike or ball.”

So, here you have a completely unpredictable pitch – even the pitcher can’t be sure what will happen. Also, much like a spinner in cricket, a knuckleballer can pitch all day.

But what makes Dickey stand out? As befits a knuckleballer, he is something of an unusual character. He comes across as being far more intelligent and well-read than your usual sportsman. He has gone from being a journeyman to a fixture in the Mets rotation in a matter of months. He has no ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm, which should cause him incredible pain, but somehow doesn’t. Here is someone, who against all odds, has reached the top of his profession.

Tim Lincecum, in contrast, is far from a grizzled veteran. Here is someone who made their name in MLB at an incredibly young age, and has tasted success early too. At just 26 he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for a good couple of years now.

He is also far removed from the dull sportsman stereotype. He wears his hair long and has a cool and relaxed demeanour that is rare in sport. He genuinely looks like he is having fun out there. Here is someone who not only excels, but looks like he would be good company for sharing a beer with. He is human in life, yet superhuman in play.

The game didn’t go my way, the Mets losing 2-0. But it was still a great game with two of the true characters of the sport up against one another. The game, and my morning, flew by. After the frenzy and hype of the World Cup, there is a lot to be said for the calm rhythms of an everyday ballgame.

Image of Tim Lincecum by SD Dirk via Flickr

Image of RA Dickey by Paul Hadsall via Flickr

Ready to (metaphorically) step inside my sporting head again? Here goes…

England win the World Cup!

Well, the Twenty20 World Cup, anyway. I listened to the game on the radio, most enjoyable, but made me realise a few things.

I really hadn’t engaged with the Twenty20 World Cup at all, until the final. I blame Sky, as they seem a good bet when finding the blame for anything.

But in all seriousness, here was a major English cricketing victory, only watched by a minority. If it had been on terrestrial television it would have had a far larger audience which would have resulted in at least two things – more people getting into cricket and going to games, and more kids being inspired to take up cricket and potentially becoming the next generation of world-beaters.

Instead, the game was restricted to people capable of spending £40+ a month. Sure, cricket benefits from Sky’s money – but what of the longer-term effects for the game?

I also realised that Twenty20 is a little odd on the radio. Give me a proper test match on the wireless any day.

Cup Final madness in my household!

Usually on Cup Final day I’d just watch the English final. But…my Scottish team is Dundee United, and so I set up two screens to watch both games simultaneously. I was like some kind of mini-Elvis, with my multiple screens. I just need a few more screens now. And if I ate many more Doritos, I’d probably end up as a full-size-Elvis too. I am right in thinking Elvis had a wall of TVs in Graceland, aren’t I? If not, the above really doesn’t make sense, does it? Anyway, I watched two games AT THE SAME TIME. I can multitask people. Admittedly, not very well, as the pitiful analysis of both games below shows…

Chelsea/Portsmouth!

I found it a reasonably entertaining game, yet throughout there was an air of inevitability about it, especially after Portsmouth missed the penalty. But even before, Chelsea were always going to win, which kind of spoiled it for me. But it also shows how strong Chelsea can be on their day.

Dundee United/Ross County!

Dundee United ended Ross County’s fairytale cup run, and looked strong throughout. I thought this was perhaps the better of the two finals, and certainly, for me, the best result. I also really, really enjoyed the BBC Scotland coverage. It had a proper ‘old school’ feel to it. There were no bells and whistles, or flashy graphics or gimmicky interviews. Instead, there was proper punditry, a great round-by-round rundown and throughout the strong message was relayed that this final really mattered. So refreshing. It was the best footballing coverage I’ve seen in a long, long time.

The play-offs!

I live pretty close to Charlton Athletic, so I’ll be an honourary Addick tonight, as I pop along to their play-off semi-final second leg against Swindon Town, accompanied by my ever-understanding Significant Other (who tolerated the above dual-screen nonsense with no complaints at all). Charlton need to turn around a 2-1 deficit to make their way to Wembley. There should be a great atmosphere tonight. Watching a team’s most important game of the season, on a Monday, is going to feel a little strange though. As will going to an evening game when it is still light.

Baseball not going so well!

The Mets are hopeless at the moment. The pitching rotation is in tatters. And yet, it still ‘feels’ like a better season than last. Things have got to pick up again soon. Haven’t they? Plus my fantasy team lost, badly. Time to regroup!

I think that will do!

You made it this far? Congratulations! Maybe I’ll structure things a bit better next time, rather than just tipping my mind out into the internet…or maybe not.

Image by andymangold via Flickr

This has enabled my MLB subscription to really come into its own. As part of the package, there is full access to every radio broadcast of every game. So, over the past few weeks my days have quite often been soundtracked by the sounds of Mets games from the night before, relayed by Howie Rose and Wayne Hagin on New York’s WFAN.

This has meant that I have had to be extra careful with my internet activity, in order to avoid any spoilers, but this has been a small price to pay for being paid to listen to sport. (I hasten to add at this point, that I have of course been working very, very hard at the same time).

To make this even better, my team, the New York Mets, have started their season surprisingly, amazingly, well. I was expecting to perhaps listen to bits and pieces of their games, hear them lose, and then move on to something else. Instead, I’ve heard win after win. I feel a little funny typing that – it’s bound to curse them.

Today was one of the best games to listen to, going from one that I could have easily given up on (and may well have done if I was at home), to one I couldn’t tear myself away from. At the start of the eighth inning the Mets were 6-1 down. Incredibly, by the end of that very same inning they were 8-6 ahead, and would go on to win by the same score.

Beyond the inevitable excitement and disbelief, it highlighted two things for me.

One, the real beauty of sport is in the improbable. 95 per cent of the time a team isn’t going to turn around a game like that. The fact that 5 per cent of the time they do is what keeps us enthralled and what keeps us watching even the most terrible game or most terrible team, just in case things turn around. We are capable of going weeks, months, years without reward, all in the hope that something wonderful might happen one day to our team. To enjoy sport, at heart you must be the eternal optimist.

Second, today showed me yet again how wonderful it is to experience the longer forms of sport, such as baseball and cricket, through radio. You can get on with other things while it plays in the background. You can pick up on the ebb and flow. You can get to know the commentators as well as the players. It is just a lovely way to spend a few hours, especially when you then get the win.

Image by aloshbennett via Flickr

In a little over a week he has gone from an amusing footnote on the 2010 season to a historical figure in the sport.

Against the New York Yankees he berated the highest paid man in baseball, Alex Rodriguez, for breaking an ‘unwritten rule’ by running across Braden’s pitching mound.

Last night he retired 27 hitters in sequence, without letting any man reach base. He now joins an elite group, completing baseball’s greatest (and perhaps rarest) feat.

One fantastic feature of baseball is the importance it gives to history and to records. This means that any of the near 2,500 games each season has the capacity to become something truly memorable. And so it was last night, as the A’s faced the team with the best record in 2010, the Tampa Bay Rays. Little did they know what lay ahead. I’m sure they’ll never forget it.

It also means the most incredible moments in the sport are not just restricted to the most successful teams and the best paid players. Theoretically, any pitcher could have his day, as Braden did yesterday. As long as baseball is played, he will not be forgotten.

We also saw the humanity of the sport. Braden chose to celebrate with his grandmother, who had done so much for him since he lost his mother to cancer, while he was at high school. And all on America’s Mother’s Day. Perfect.

Image by Mark Terranova via Flickr

Either way, the slate is cleaned. For one day only, every team is equal in the standings. And, theoretically at least, every team has the same chance of glory. Obviously, that is not entirely the case, but baseball is certainly one of the most competitive, and so unpredictable sports. Even the best teams will lose over a third of their games, and there are countless examples of lesser teams outperforming their salary structure as other big-spending teams bomb out.

So, a lot to look forward to – as should be the case at the beginning of any sporting season. But what’s going to happen? You’re sitting there, reading this (mainly) sporting blog, and no doubt expecting some insight. Hmm. That could prove problematic. Even the best pundits get plenty wrong, and I’m by no means a good pundit. Maths scholars work out complicated formulae to predict how a season pans out, and they’re often wrong too. But, hey, why should that stop an ill-informed schmuck like me having a go? That’s what the internet is for!

Generally, it’s hard to see too many differences from last year, as the same sides look strong, but I’ll stick my neck out and suggest the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox might outperform expectations. I also have a hunch that the St Louis Cardinals won’t do as well as many are expecting, in a pretty tough division.

As for my team, the Mets, I’m trying to completely play down any chance they might have for a successful season. Last year was poor, this year the injuries have continued and I think it is far easier to expect little, and then be nicely surprised if they surpass my limited expectations. I’ll just sit back and enjoy whatever comes.

I put together some (vaguely) more coherent thoughts for the BaseballGB site’s MLB predictions post, but you lucky readers, I thought I’d give you the full version of my ramblings here. Think of it like a DVD extra. Nice to look at once, probably a bit rushed, and easily forgotten:

I think it’s hard to look beyond 2009’s divisional winners when making predictions for 2010, but that’s no fun, and so as a gambling man I thought I’d tip the ‘value’ teams, who have perhaps been undervalued by bookies and pundits alike.

National League

NL East – Braves

While the all-conquering Phillies should be there or thereabouts, the Braves are a strong side with the added narrative of Bobby Cox’s last year in charge. I think they could sneak the division, as I doubt the Marlins or the Mets will be able to sustain a challenge.

NL Central -Brewers

While the Cardinals are the clear favourites, I think it would be wrong the write off the Brewers. I think the Reds aren’t a bad outsider option either. This could be a far more competitive division that some are giving it credit for, once you add the Cubs into the mix too.

NL West – Rockies

The Dodgers reign of supremacy comes to an end. If the Rockies pick up where they left off in 2009 they should win the division. I wouldn’t rule out a strong year for the Diamondbacks, either.

NL Wild Card – Phillies

I think the Phillies will rack up enough wins to take this, with the Diamondbacks, then perhaps the Cardinals missing out. I reckon the Braves will have the strongest record in the division, complicating the play-offs a little, but perhaps playing out like this…

Division Series

Braves vs Brewers

Could be a close one, but I’d have the Braves winning this one.

Phillies vs Rockies

The Phillies have been so strong in the post-season, I think they’ll sweep aside the Rockies.

League Championship Series

Braves vs Phillies

The Braves win in seven, to give Bobby Cox a final shot at the World Series.

American League

AL East – Red Sox

This is an incredibly tough division to predict, with the Yankees the obvious choice, and the Rays a reasonable outside chance. Saying that, I’m going to go with the Red Sox, who I think are a fairly safe bet to be in the mix.

AL Central – White Sox

Much like the Cardinals in the NL, I think the Twins might be a little over-rated in the AL Central. The White Sox could be good enough to pip them, if the planets align.

AL West – Rangers

Another super-competitive division, but I think the Angels could be usurped and the Mariners are over-rated, with their eye-catching acquisitions clouding judgement. The Rangers had a strong 2009, and I can see them building on it this year.

AL Wild Card – Yankees

The easy option here is to plump with the AL East runner-up, so either the Yankees or Rays. I’ll play it safe this time. Again, I’ve made things awkward, as I think the Red Sox will have the best record, so the play-offs will be as follows…

Divisional Series

Red Sox vs White Sox

A few pitchers duels in store here, I reckon, before the Red Sox win out.

Rangers vs Yankees

Determined as I am to see the Yankees fail, I’m going to predict a Rangers win here.

League Championship Series

Red Sox vs Rangers

What the hell, why not have the Rangers win this one too?

World Series

Braves vs Rangers

And for the World Series, the Rangers out-shoot the Braves, and ruin the fairytale ending for Bobby Cox in five or six games. It’ll never happen, my head tells me one of Red Sox/Yankees/Phillies again, but I’m not tipping those sides. That would just encourage them

Photo from Michael via Flickr

Normal service will resume here shortly, so expect plenty of rambling and nonsense here soon…

And a big welcome to anyone who has ventured over from BaseballGB for a peek. Good to see you (er, virtually)!

So, to bring you up to speed on my Hemingway adventure, on the advice of this parish’s Steven Harris, I picked up the complete short stories late last year in one of those beautiful Everyman hardback volumes, using my Borders vouchers just before the place went belly-up. Then, for Christmas, as part of an array of writing-inspired gifts, my wonderful Significant Other gave me Ernest Hemingway on writing, a brilliant little book compiling many of Hemingway’s thoughts on writing and the life of the writer. So…I’ve been keeping up.

Last week I popped into one of those strange discount bookshops, that sometimes have some incredible bargains and other times have nothing but hopeless junk. This time, I got lucky. I picked up the slim The Old Man and the Sea, the story that won Hemingway a Nobel Prize for Literature.

My verdict? Well, I loved it. It is one of those stories that will stay with me a long time, hopefully forever.

And I used the word ‘story’ rather than ’book’ quite deliberately.

Here we have a real tale, a fable even. Here we have an old man, a young boy, a fish and little else. Everything is honed down and necessary, like a good story should be. In its 100 or so pages there is no room for flowery prose, or padding. And while it is set in contemporary times, the 1950s, it feels like the kind of story passed from generation to generation, as old as the act of fishing itself.

The one concession to the modern-day is baseball. Oh yes, there’s another reason why I loved reading this, apart from Hemingway’s prose and its brevity (I do love a good short book to rip through). The Old Man’s mind often wanders to baseball, and in particular the great Joe DiMaggio, wondering how the Yankees’ great centre fielder would deal with the Old Man’s situation, being the son of a fisherman himself.

So, concise, timeless and it namechecks baseball. It’s as if this was written for me. Don’t you just love getting that feeling from a book?

I haven’t read a whole lot around the book yet, but it is clear that this is a book that divides opinion. There seems to have been a fair bit of criticism in terms of its symbolism, and if it veers too far from the writer’s famed realism.

I’ll just let the man himself reply:

“No good book has ever been written that has in it symbols arrived at beforehand and stuck in. … I tried to make a real old man, a real boy, a real sea and a real fish and real sharks. But if I made them good and true enough they would mean many things”.

But what option should I choose?

The past couple of seasons I’ve gone with the bog-standard MLB.TV option, and it’s been fine for me. I’m not a heavy user of this particular drug, and if the picture gets a little grainy at times I don’t mind. With the dreadful speakers on my laptop to match I can just squint and pretend I’m watching it on a cool old portable TV in a log cabin in 1976. Seems more authentic that way. I just need to be sitting in a wifebeater sucking on a cheap beer, howling at the screen. Or something. Well, it has been known.

But then again, I’ve always been a sucker for shiny advertising and clever payment options, where is only *just that little bit more* to upgrade. So, what do I get for my extra dough? Choice of home or away broadcast. Nice, but not essential. DVR controls to pause and rewind live. Now we’re talking. That could be good for when I drift off, or miss that key play as I reach for the pretzels. Multi-game view. I’d probably use it now and again, just to get a different feel for the game. Not essential though.

Well, thanks for talking me through that, dear reader. It sounds like the basic package will be just fine. Unless I feel a little flush and light-headed when I order. Feel free to convince me otherwise.

The price? According to my online currency converter findings, it’s £62 for cheap MLB.TV, and £74 for shiny, flashy MLB.TV. See what I mean about *just that little bit more*? Hmm. Damn them and their fine pricing policy.

I think it’s a little bit more than last year, and I’m no financial whiz, but maybe the exchange rate doesn’t help. Say, if you can predict the financial future let me know when I should buy. I’m not looking to fleece the worldwide markets. I just want my baseball a little cheaper so I can spend that money on, I dunno, takeaway curry, or something nice for the flat, you know?