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The Daily Dose/October 16, 2010
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Notes From Around The Human Experience...
THE GRAND OLD GAME…ER, FIASCO: The baseball playoffs began their league championship series' this weekend but we are not getting too worked up over it because why should we care when baseball doesn't seem to care?
We invite you to look deep inside yourself. Do you really care either? Unless you follow one of the four teams left, probably not too much because baseball could not do a better job of driving new or casual fans away if they tried.
FunFact: The Texas Rangers, appearing in their first American League Championship Series, still haven't won at home this postseason, blowing game one to those goddamned New York Yankees last night 6-5. Thanks guys, a Yankee comeback win in the opener is always good for national morale.
Exhibit 1: Leading off are games starting at 9:30pm Eastern time. This is especially sinful when an eastern team, like Atlanta, is involved. Baseball has been doing this for years, which is a great way to tell kids who have bedtimes - not to mention their parents who work in the morning, "Hey, you know what? You don't matter!"
Exhibit 2: There are too many days off. We've said this before: baseball is played everyday. At least in the regular season. In the playoffs, it's like playing rec league softball. You play a game or two, then take a couple of days off.
Actually, it's worse than that! Today is the 13th day since the regular season ended and the Texas Rangers, despite an opening round that went the full five games, are playing just their seventh postseason game today.
For The Record: The New York Yankees, their opponents in the American League Championship Series, are only playing their fifth, but they get a pass because they only needed three games to win their first-round series.
Another Exhibit: It's worse in the National League, which hasn't played a game since Monday, when San Francisco eliminated Atlanta. The day before Philadelphia eliminated Cincinnati. That's right, it's October, the time when baseball fans are aching for some playoff baseball, and the National League takes the week off. This is another great way to turn fans off.
Mr. Selig, Common Sense On Line Two: There is no reason for this. Baseball is losing the casual fan. Sure, the fans of the teams still in it still care, but few others do. We've detailed solutions here before. They involve playing everyday and in the daytime. They've been ignored, which is funny because they are really sensible.
For Example: If baseball had listened to us and had all four division series over by this past Sunday, one LCS would be playing game four today and the other game three and the latest the World Series would go would be October 31. Playoff baseball everyday for a month would have this country spellbound, much like a playoff would in major college football, but nobody is listenting to us there, either.
Oh Yeah, One More Thing: Stop this nonsense of celebrating division series wins with champagne. This is a manufactured celebration, much like watching college basketball teams jump around like idiots after clinching NCAA tournament berths is manufactured to give ESPN something to show on SportsCenter.
Now Hear This: Your break out the champagne when you have won a title. For example, you win your division, you are entitled to champagne. You win your League Championship Series, sure, absolutely. You just won the pennant. So spray all the champagne you want.
But for a division series win? No. This is silly. A team clinches their division series their should be some handshakes and maybe some hugsies but that's about it. Let's not get too worked up over this.
AND YOU WONDER WHERE POLACK JOKES CAME FROM: Even though she is a woman, Jadwiga is crowned King of Poland on this date in 1384. The Catholic Church, also not entirely sure on the matter, has, despite the fact she was king, venerated her as patron saint of queens.
Great Moments In Race Relations: On this date in 1968, at the medal ceremony for the 200 meters at the Mexico City Olympics, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos give the black power salute, by raising a hand covered with a black glove. They were rewarded for their efforts by being expelled from the Games.
As a show of solidarity, Australian Peter Norman, the silver medalist in the event, wore an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge.
Norman would pay a price for this back home, being denied a spot on the 1972 Olympic team even though he finished third in their Olympic trials, nor was he invited by the Australians to take part in the 2000 Sydney Games. He died in 2006. At his funeral both Smith and Carlos gave eulogies and carried his casket.
Quick Thinking: At the ceremony Smith raised his right hand and Carlos his left because they only had one pair of gloves because Carlos had left his at the Olympic Village. It was Norman who suggested they share Smith's gloves.
Go In Peace, Consolidate Power And Wealth: Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla is elected pope on this date in 1978. He would take the name John Paul II and would reign until he death in 2005. Wojtyla was elected on the eighth ballot, a compromise candidate when it became clear neither of the two Italians running would be able to muster the two-thirds plus one margin required for election.
FunFact: Pope John Paul II election followed the death of John Paul I, who reigned for 33 days and whose election followed the death of Pope Paul VI, making 1978 the first time since 1605 there had been three popes in one calendar year.
MISTRESSES 1, WIVES 0: One of our fave aspects of the Chilean miner story was the handful of miners who were keeping mistresses on the side, mistresses which surfaced, right alongside the corresponding wives to show support for their men.
And The Winner Is: At least one mistress has had her patience pay off, as miner Yonni Barrios declared his undying love for the woman not his wife, a wife which declined to show up for her husband's rescue despite being invited.
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: In our last column we noted how John Malkovich, whom we lauded for his role in the movie Secretariat used to annoy us because of some role in some long forgotten movie.
On Further Review: We were wrong. It was the infernal John Lithgow who annoyed us. We still don't remember the movie, but it was definitely Mr. Lithgow who annoyed us.
Dry, Technical Matter: We regret, though are not particularly surprised by, the error.
Thought For The Day: Everything has to be created, and we are the artists. - Deng Ming Dao, 365 Tao
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Bermuda is Britain's oldest remaining colony.
Today's Stumper: What is the highest number of popes the Catholic Church has had in one calendar year? - Answer next time!
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