Comments on: YOUTH WILL BE SERVED

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 17:56:29 +0000

No wonder the intelligentsia like the book better than the movie. Piss on them, and piss on those who can’t recognize good writing, no matter the subject.

Baseball brings out whiners and what-iffers like no other sport. Is it the White Sox’ fault that the athletes under contract by their opponents can’t compete? Injuries are part of the game. Deal with it. Every team sitting at home watching can come up with a list of guys they needed and didn’t have. Too bad. That’s why you have 25 guys on a team, and a whole farm system below that, so that you can replace injured players. That’s why the Sox have Jenks closing.

By: Giacomo

Giacomo — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 00:12:06 +0000

Make that two. Great writing. But I have to differ with you on one point. The Crank is right about not facing those two team’s number 1’s. When you take away the number one starter from a team you lose a lot more than the effectiveness you’d expect in that one game. You tire your bullpen. You put your team on the defensive. You put more pressure on your #2 and #3. Even as you say, the Astros would have had to score more than the White Sox. True enough, but that latter task would have been a lot easier had Clemens of the sub-2 ERA pitched seven or eight than a hobbled Clemens struggled through 2 innings and bailed.

By: JimBobElrod

JimBobElrod — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 23:45:47 +0000

When Jenks threw that 100 mph message under Jeff Bagwell’s chin, I almost felt sorry for him, Bagwell that is. Almost lost in the last two innings was Cotts striking out the last two batters he faced, helping to strand runners on first and third with no outs. Oswalt is the most dominant starting pitcher I’ve seen in the playoffs so far. He will be tough to beat. By the way, the subplot involving Contreras, Fidel and Contreras’ family still in Cuba would be an interesting story for someone to do.
Great writing, you’ll at least have an audience of one thru the Series.

By: Zsa Zsa

Zsa Zsa — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 19:55:41 +0000

Bobby Jenks is way to good!… I still want the ASTROS to win! I wish Bobby Jenks was on our team! GO ASTROS!!!…YAY!

By: Rick Moran

Rick Moran — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 19:12:39 +0000

Chris:

Thanks for the kudos…and I really want to write more about baseball but whenever I do, my sitemeter goes south. That said, nothing will stop me from writing about the World Series.

BTW, it might interest you to know that the novella by Bernard Malamud that The Natural was based on ends up with Roy Hobbs failing in the clutch. In fact, the book is more about how pride goeth before the fall as Hobbs wastes his unbelievable natural ability in wine and women. In the end, the gods punish him for it.

I agree though…I liked the Hollywood ending much better.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 19:08:02 +0000

Perhaps that is why I have always found the ending to “The Natural” so fulfilling. The aging hitter goes up against the young power pitcher, a vision of himself as he once was, in his prime, before fate cut him down. The reversal of “youth must be served” may not be the natural order, but is satisfying, especially the older I get.

Don’t stint the baseball writing, especially now. You’re on a roll. Don’t break the momentum.