Thursday, September 11, 2008

Tampararily Resting... [ugh]

1-1 after 3 innings, 1-1 after 13 innings, a 4-2 loss in 14. Tension so thick you could cut it with a cliche.

What a couple of games. If you have to do anything, you have to hand it to Tampa. A gutsy team, they.

Such baseball games are so plump and juicy, meaning just oozes out. The universe in cleats. This time, though, there's just so much to say, and I'm just too tired to say it. Regroup, revamp, revitalize. In the meantime, I'll take my 5 game lead in the Wild Card race, and my deficit in the division of fewer games behind than games we have left against the Rays (2.5 and 3), and be begrudgingly satisfied.

Yup, folks, I'm phoning this one in. In lieu of whatever I'd say if I wasn't so phoning, may I recommend the most interesting and profound article I've read on politics and morality in a while, or perhaps a report on a study on the psychological and economic benefits of being a sports fan, with Bostony examples?

Bonus points if you use the theories of one to explain the other.

3 comments:

Cartman's Left Hand said...

Jonah. Love your blog. Regarding the link to "why people vote Republican" -- very interesting and obviously written by a smart dude. However, he presents a deeply flawed argument. His reasoning is based on assumptions that are incorrect.

For many of us secular, well educated people, it is a matter of lower taxes, smaller govt and personal accountability.

Soxlosophy said...

thanks for the kind words, cartman's.

of course, posting something political, i risk getting into a whole area of contentiousness beyond the yankees sucking. oh well.

i'm more inclined to think the author's ideas are less comprehensive than incorrect; that is, i think they do cover some, even many, but just but not all folks who vote republican.

some like to distinguish at least 3 ideological factions within the republican party; social conservatives (e.g. religious right), fiscal conservatives (free-marketers), and libertarians

i tend to think that something like that sounds right, though of course lines are never all that sharp. i think the article probably just covers a psychological pattern of social conservatives, but not the others.

it sounds to me like your views are less social conservative and more of the libertarian sort, even related to the views of John Stuart Mill, who makes a cameo in the article, if i recall, as someone opposed to the sort of morality system the author is talking about.

but anyway, i liked the article for floating some conceptually interesting stuff, even if empirically it doesn't accout for everything.

that's how i roll.

Cartman's Left Hand said...

Jonah,

I'm definitely not a social conservative. Your observation is largely accurate.

Now, I have to google John Stuart Mill...

Thanks for posting the link -- interesting read.