aahh........... must..post...something....
Thanks in part to eBay (God bless 'em) I'm totally immersed in the Ken Burns documentary "Baseball." What a great (and long) film. Not only does it trace the origins and history of the game itself at the professional and amateur levels (ed. can never spell that word, don't want to look it up) but also the cultural and social trends that shaped and were shaped by the game.
There was even a short piece on sportswriters, as well as a number of quotes from writers interspersed throughout the film. Which brings this to mind: The sportswriting (and newsprint in general I assume) was far, far superior back in the 10's, 20's and 30's than it is today. You won't see writing like that again out of anyone not named Frank Deford (maybe, sometimes.)
I had to chuckle a little bit at the brief appearance of the now-deceased baseball-fan/paleontologist (and vociferous defender of evolution) Stephen Joy Gould, who makes a few brief appearances, including talking about the "evolution" from rounders and other games that led to the invention of baseball. (which was not invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, NY, as the myth says.)
A little. I figure dead materialists aren't the happiest people in the world.
7:39:25 AM
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