I had two articles posted on Friday, one on the Brewers’ immediate future another on Mat Gamel, Alcides Escobar, and Colby Rasmus. I have also filed a blog entry on Wade Davis that isn’t up yet.
Walter Moers’ The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear was one of my favorite books of 2008 (books I read last year, that is, not books published last year), and his follow-up, The City of Dreaming Books
It is, like Bluebear, wildly imaginative, full of wordplay (including fictional author names like Asdrel Chickens) and incredibly sharp characters and settings. Moers has a gift for making the insane seem normal and for precise descriptions of places that evoke clear images in the reader’s mind, and, as in Bluebear, Moers has his main character, Optimus Yarnspinner, go through a series of vaguely ridiculous character-building adventures, although Yarnspinner does less to help his own cause than Bluebear did.
The problem with City is that the action plot isn’t well connected to the character-development plot. Yarnspinner spends 2/3 of the book in the catacombs under Bookholm and, while there’s plenty of action down there, the emphasis is on his development as a storyteller – both the effects his experiences have on his thinking and his ability to actually craft a story. There’s an obvious revenge plot at work, with Yarnspinner and one other prisoner looking for escape and vengeance on their captors, that portion of the plot is set aside for hundreds of pages. Moers brings it back when Yarnspinner and his comrade make their final escape attempt at the end of the book, and the resolution was quick, obvious, and cursory. I’m not arguing with the general plot, but with the lack of integration between that thread and Yarnspinner’s time in the catacombs. City is still a great read, but more for its cleverness and humor than for the action-oriented portion of the plot, and Bluebear was more imaginative and funnier.
Next up: The reissue of Leo Durocher’s classic memoir, Nice Guys Finish Last
Keith, not sure where else to ask this, but the current issue of ESPN the Magazine has an article on sliding. It includes a picture of the famous Derek Jeter play where Jason Giambi was thrown out at home. I’ve always thought Giambi was safe, and the picture in the Magazine seems to confirm this. Thoughts?
Paul, I think it was Jeremy Giambi, not Jason, who was trying to score on that play. He probably was safe, but the lack of a slide made the play unnecessarily close.
The photograph is wrong. Jeter made the most heads up play ever and (Jeremy) Giambi was out by 3 steps.
Tom, you’re right, I meant Jeremy Giambi, don’t know what I was thinking. Dave, am I allowed to charge you $5?
god that game still hurts. that a’s team was stacked. heads up play by jeter – but little g was safe.
Dave-
Brilliant. “The photograph is wrong.”
I used to date a girl whose dad’s company had season tickets and drove up from Santa Barbara just to go to that game. Probably the best sporting event I’ve ever been to, great seats, incredible game; legendary bang-bang play at the plate. OUT from where I was sitting, SAFE if he gets dirty.
Keith,
I just got your e-mail apologizing for not being able to get back faster for help with my Policy Paper last spring, that is understandable. It went very well, I enjoyed being able to do research and write about two of my favorite things–public policy and baseball–in my graduate work.
Keith: Totally agree with the Chippendales thing even if you were being tongue in cheek. I sat with my wife last night during the news segment on his death just to see if they would show that clip.
Brian G., I suggest you look at the picture in the Magazine…it is pretty clear that the tag has not yet been applied and Giambi is a fraction of an inch from landing on home plate.
Jeter’s tagging speed >>>>>>> Giambi’s gravitational pull.
Have you never watched a Yankees game?
Sometimes you flub the easiest ones, eh? *Posada’s* tagging speed. Obviously, Jeter’s would have far more > in it. So really …
Jeter’s tagging speed >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Posada’s tagging speed >>>>>>> Giambi’s gravitational pull
Paul H–Yeah I read the article and checked the pic again and after 15 minutes of google fail to find the video figured this is the next best thing we’re going to get:
http://www.prosportsmemorabilia.com/Images/Product/33-22/33-22207-F.jpg
Looks to me like the pic in ESPN The Mag is from just after the backhand tag was applied. I’d like to know who was on deck and wasn’t waiving Jeremy Giambi into the dirt. Anybody know?
Paul H.-
Here you go, pic from The Mag is just after the tag:
http://www.gottahaveit.com/ItemImages/014494_lg.jpeg
Brian G., that’s not the picture I saw in the Mag. The one you show makes it look closer than the one from I saw. However, this doesn’t look like it is after the tag, as Posada is sweeping that tag towards Giambi, it doesn’t look like it got there yet, although in another brilliant move, Jeter’s foot is in the way of the picture, making it impossible to tell if the tag had been applied yet. Is there any little thing that guy doesn’t do right?
Paul H- Yeah I think Posada’s got him on the calf and the pic from The Mag is taken from closer to home and just a half second after so it looks like Posada has whiffed completely. I’d like to know who was on deck and wasn’t waving Giambi to get down? The Jeter-foot-in-the-way gambit is pure genius. He deserves retroactive MVP awards for that sort of awesomeness.
That’s why he is the most clutchy player ever, he thinks of everything. I’d be shocked if the reason the on-deck hitter didn’t tell Giambi to slide was anything other than Jeter distacting him (probably with pictures of Mariah Carey).