Baseball and Individualism

Baseball is an individualistic sport. I never understood this, and people said it all the time. Then again, I played soccer, basketball, hockey and wrestled, but never played baseball growing up.

When I think of an individual sport, I think of wrestling. It was obvious to me the first time I went to the mat: there is no one there to help me. This guy could beat me or I could beat him, but there is no one to blame but me. This is individualism. Only your performance matters; there is no collective blame.

I remember one tournament I was in: I was trying to get my coach to come to the mat where I was scheduled for a match. I wanted someone on my side so I didn’t feel so alone -- someone to yell helpful suggestions. I was called to the center of the circle. The coach wasn’t there. I was mad at the coach for not being there. I took it out on my opponent, and pinned him in the first period.

After the match, the coach came ambling up to say he was there. “Where are you going to wrestle?” he asked. I told him that I already pinned the guy. The coach's response: “Well, you didn’t need me after all.”

Since then, I’ve always loved the individual sports. My dad and I enjoy watching boxing matches. I occasionally catch a judo or collegiate wrestling match. I love the one-on-one, mano-a-mano style of sport.

So I found it hard to reconcile baseball as an individualistic sport. At least until my first at bat.

There I was, holding a bat for the first time in two decades. We already have two outs and are down by several runs. In our league, to speed-up play, batters start with a ball and a strike. Shortly, I was at three balls and two strikes. My heart was pounding. I had that exact same feeling that I had at the center of a wrestling circle. There was no one else. Only a few things could happen, I could get walked, I could strike out swinging or not, or I could hit it. But only two people had any control of that. Me and the pitcher. This was thrilling. This was me versus him. And even then, it was really me versus the 10 guys on the field. If they caught my hit, I was out. If they got the ball to first base before I was there, I was out. That’s pressure, and it’s thrilling.

This is how baseball is individualistic. The play revolves around a single individual trying to swing a big stick at a fast moving ball.

There are other aspects of the game.

In the field, there is teamwork. Anyone who watches a great double play has seen some excellent teamwork.

Yet there’s a lot of individual effort. You have to be responsible for balls hit to you. A great outfielder can make an amazing play that saves the game. If you don’t make the play you should, you get an individual error.

On offense, there are times when your goal isn’t to get on base, but to advance a runner on second home. Doing so to get runs on the board.

If you google this subject, there is a lot of great writing about this idea. My favorite is this one, written by a Brit who specializes in American history. He has a few excellent thoughts about the individualism of the sport.

America is a country based on individualism. I think it is fitting that her national pastime is individualistic as well. As Pete Rose said "Baseball is a team game, but nine men who reach their individual goals make a nice team."

Why the sudden baseball obsession?

The short answer: I started playing softball with my neighborhood team.

The long answer: I had a moment during the first game of our softball season.  I was out in left field trying to pay attention to what was happening at the plate. I was terrified that the ball would get hit in my direction, but mostly I was confused by what was going on. I knew the basic rules of the game; there were nuances I'd missed somehow. It was a moment that I realized that I should know what's happening, and I was totally lost.

After that game, I decided that I needed to learn more if I was going to really enjoy my experiment with softball this summer. I decided to do these three things:

1. Watching a lot of baseball movies. Dramatizing sports helps make the game more meaningful.

2. Actually watching a baseball game on TV. (Yes, that's right, I've never watched a baseball game.) Commentators help to explain the game.

3. Have the captain of our softball team watch the game before ours and explain what I should be doing at whatever position I was playing. Generally, try to learn about the game from my teammates and pay close attention to our games.

The more I watched and paid attention, the more I realized that baseball was a great sport. I realized I actually liked baseball. Forty years of my life and I finally discovered baseball!

I'm going to reopen this blog to do some writing about my thoughts on baseball, baseball movies, softball, and generally what it's like to discover baseball at 40.

Pho' recipe

6lb rib bones
1lb beef gravy
2 sliced onions
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 t whole black peppercorn
salt
1 lb rice noodles
1 lb bean sprouts
6 spring onions
4 firm ripe tomatoes
2 white onions
1 lb rump steak
fish sauce
lemon wedges
fresh chillies
cilantro

Color Me Excited

New Star Trek... Directed by JJ Abrams

Raisin Wine-Could be interesting

Here is a nice recipe that can be made with some grocery store ingredients. This recipe will make a 1 gallon batch.


* 2 lb raisins
* 1 gal warm water
* 2 lbs sugar
* 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
* 4 tsps acid blend
* 1 campden tablet
* wine yeast


starting specific gravity should be 1.090-1.095,acid .60%

Chop raisins.

Mix all ingredients except yeast in primary fermentor.

When cool(70-75 deg F) add yeast.

Cover and stir daily for 5 to 6 days.

Remove raisins and press.

Pour into secondary fermentor ,rack in 3 weeks. Make sure container is topped up.

Rack again in 3 months.

Age 6 months

Crock Pot Chicken Vindaloo

1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges through the root end
3/4 lb potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1-3 teaspoon Thai red curry paste, can use green
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen broccoli carrots cauliflower mix
1/2 cup reduced-fat coconut milk

Not the one? See other Crock Pot Chicken Vindaloo (Ww 5 Pts. Per Serving) Recipes

* Indian One-Dish Meal
* Chicken Breasts One-Dish Meal
* Crock Pot One-Dish Meal
* Potluck One-Dish Meal

1. In single layers, place onion, potatoes and chicken in a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle with salt.
3. Combine the broth, curry paste, and curry powder in a medium bowl; pour over the chicken and vegetables.
4. Cover and cook until the chicken and potatoes are fork tender, 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.
5. About 35 minutes before cooking is done, stir the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and coconut milk into the slow cooker.
6. Cover and cook on high until vegetables are crisp tender, about 30 minutes.

WENG WENG RAP

I now introduce you to the great Weng Weng!

Bread Machine Pizza Dough

3 T Oil
2/4 C Water
1.5 t Sugar
3/4 t Salt
2 C Bread Flour
2 t active dry yeast
Spices/Herbs to taste

Quote:

Worrying is like paying a debt you may never have owed

- Charlie Papazian

Relax. Dont Worry. Have a Homebrew.

-Charlie Papazian


DONT PANIC!
- Douglas Adams

Greek Yogurt

Yogurt Cheese

Ingredients:

1 quart fresh plain yogurt (I use fat free)

Cheese salt (optional)

Herbs (optional)

½ packet of Splenda (this is a modification I’ve added to curb the bitterness)


Directions:

Let the yogurt come to room temperature (this actually makes a difference, when I’ve done it with cold yogurt, it doesn’t seem to taste as good).
Pour the yogurt into a colander lined with butter muslin. Tie the corners of the muslin into knot and let the bag drain for 12-24 hours, or until the yogurt has stopped dripping and reached the desired consistency.
Remove the cheese from the bag. Add the salt and/or herbs to taste, if desired. I also add a little sugar/Splenda at this point.
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.


Yield:

About 8 ounces

Girls Making Beer

NICE!

Paella Recipe

Since it varies a lot with my mood, I’m going to give you the flexible recipe:

2 C of Arborio rice (short grain)
3 C of water +/-
3 C of stock
Saffron to taste (you don’t need much)
Veggies (and or beans)
Meats
Olive oil

Process:
Cook the meats you have selected and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, then add the raw rice. Stir the rice constantly until it becomes opaque.
Add the stock and vegetables, and cook uncovered adding water as necessary.
Before adding the last cup of water add the meat back in.
It is finished when 1) the rice is no longer crunchy, and 2) a little bit of the rice is getting browned to the bottom of the pan.

Variations:
Rice: in Telluride, I used the prepackaged “Saffron Rice” that they sell in the grocery store. The disadvantage is that the long grain rice was hard to cook all the way through.

Stock: I usually use chicken stock if I am cooking meat and seafood stock if I’m cooking seafood. I also like to add “tomato stock” which you can find in the Mexican food isle.

Meats: This is where the variety really begins. I’ve added meat balls, chicken bits, shrimp, muscles, calamari, lamb, chicken wings, etc.

The traditional Spanish meat balls have pine nuts in them. I like to make Italian meatballs w/Italian seasonings and garlic or Greek with mint and oregano.

If you add seafood, it will taste terrible the next day, so you shouldn’t make too much.

Veggies: I add peppers, artichoke hearts, onions, lima beans, butter beans and green beans.

Ginger Ice Cream

2/4 C Sugar
3 egg yolks
1.5 C milk
1 T finely grated fresh ginger root including juice
pinch of salt
1.5 C heavy whipping cream

Directions
Combine the cream, milk, ginger and salt in a heaving pan and simmer for 20 minutes.

Beat sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow. Slowly whisk about 1 C of the hot cream mix into the egg yolk mix, then pour all the egge mixture in the pan and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Strain into a large bowl, pushing against the sides to extract the liquid from the ginger and isolate any fibrous pieces.

Pour into covered container and refrigerate until well chilled (overnight).

Process according to ice cream makers instructions.

Green Tea Ice Cream Recipe

2/4 C Sugar
3 egg yolks
1 C milk
2.5 T powdered green tea
1/4 C hot water
1.5 C heavy whipping cream
1t vanilla extract

Directions
Beat sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow. Set aside.

Bring milk to a slow boil in a medium sized heavy saucepan, turn off heat. Slowly whisk a cup of hot milk into the egg yolk mix, then pour the entire mix into the saucepan. Cook over low yeat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, furiously whisk the powdered green tea into the hot water, being sure to blend all lumps. Add to the ice cream base, stirring well. Stir in the cream and vanilla extract.

Pour into covered container and refrigerate until well chilled (overnight).

Process according to ice cream makers instructions.

Ayn Rand's Ideas: An Introduction

The Official Ramen Homepage

What a bunch of weird stuff you can do with Ramen Noodles.

Cowboy's Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

Spaghetti Sauce
1 12 oz can of tomato sauce
1 12 oz can of diced tomatoes
1-2 cups of red wine
2-3 T Olive oil
salt
pepper
oregano
basil
cayenne pepper
red pepper
and shit loads of garlic (5-6 cloves)
Simmer 1.5 hours

Meat balls
1 LB Ground beef
equal volume of bread innards soaked in milk
onions chopped
1 T Oregano
1 T Mint

Squeeze the milk out of the bread innards and mix with everything else. Fry in lots of olive oil.

Mix with noodles and eat.

Age of Fighting Sail Ends

I've been reading "Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sale" by Nathan Miller, so this news is really sad. And Goddamnit, this ship has been in London and I never bothered to visit it. Shame on me.

"LONDON, England (CNN) -- The Cutty Sark, thought to be the world's only surviving 19th century tea clipper and a prime relic of the golden age of sail, was engulfed by flames Monday, causing extensive damage to one of London's most popular tourist attractions."

Dwight as Jim

And a follow up!

The Office -- Playing Dwight Schrute is...Jim Halpert?

Damn this was funny!