boonville blog, by jeff egnaczyk - you are listening to me talk

Yanks, Sox, '04

As we go to a rain delay in the second game of this installment of Yankees vs. Red Sox I'm reminded of another particularly important rain out in the history of this rivalry. Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS got rained out. The Yankees ended up trouncing the Sox the next day, 18-7. Then some bad stuff happened. I've always thought about that rain out in the context of that series. What fascinates me about that series - a series I obviously wish had turned out differently - was the margin for error that the Red Sox had to operate with. Everything had to line up perfectly for that comeback. Maybe if the rain out doesn't happen the pitching lines up differently or the Red Sox win game three but lose the series. If Rivera doesn't walk Kevin Millar. If Tony Clark's game four double didn't bounce over the little league wall in Fenway the Yankees probably win that game. Hell, what if Curt Schilling's surgery doesn't go perfectly. Beyond that, what if the Yankees had resigned Andy Pettitte. Let's say Billy Beane ended up coming to the Red Sox and made just one different move. I'm not a fan of mysticism and karma and the cosmos lining up and all that junk but it is amazing to think about how perfectly things had to line up for the Red Sox to win that series and win it the way they did.

I'm not trying to disparage them either. Jeffrey Maier, the tuck, accidents happen, luck happens.

The Hipster

In one of our once a year concerts (I believe it was Okkervil River), Liz and I decided that the hipster could ironically pull off any outfit. The hick look, the academic look, the emo look, a rocker, American sports fan, whatever. I can't name them all. I listen to music that hipsters like but I'm certainly not a hipster. The exception, we decided, was the European soccer jersey. We couldn't envision an example of a hipster wearing one. I thought the already foreign nature of the outfit precluded hipster encroachment.

So last Thursday we went to see a free show by The Hold Steady at Paradise and what do we see? Craig Finn in a green and black vertically striped soccer jersey. I think that officially ruins the theory.

In related news, I would like a bottle of the pills that Craig Finn is taking. He strikes me as enthusiastic about things in general.

Profound Sense of Sadness

Stuff that evokes sadness in me:

• Book: Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. This is probably the best science fiction book of all time. It also left me with this giant empty feeling after I finished it. It's the idea that humanity as we know it now is largely worthless and will be blown away in favor of something more evolved that gives me that feeling.
• Song: When You're Old and Lonely by The Magnetic Fields. Given what I know and what I don't know about The Magnetic Fields this could be some uber-ironic song devoid of the bitter loneliness that the lyrics exude on the surface. If it is, I prefer to remain ignorant. Stephin Merritt's deep voice and the solitary guitar really hit the soul.
• Movie: Lost in Translation. Two people with an obvious connection and possibly no chance to explore it come tomorrow. Bill Murray's eyes cut deeply.
• Place: Hotel rooms. I don't know what it is, when I wake up in a hotel I have this weird feeling of sadness. I'm never alone in hotel rooms either. I'm always with Carol. Somehow there is still this sense of loneliness that I don't feel anywhere else. Maybe because my stay is ephemeral. Maybe its the un-lived in cleanliness. Maybe because it's quiet. Or maybe it's because I'm in a large building with complete strangers walled off from me in their own rooms. I don't know.

Olympic Bound

My high school classmate Jen Kaido is going to the Olympics as part of the Women’s Quadruple Sculls team. I think that means she rows a boat with three other women. As far as I can tell she's going to have to beat a quartet of Germans or Romanians if she wants to bring home gold. I say we all make the Germans our sworn enemies until the end of the Olympics. They're used to it anyway.

I walked with Jen at my high school graduation. She is an absolutely great person and I'm so happy for her. She also looks bad ass in shades. After the graduation ceremony my friends and I went and jumped into a pond with our gowns on. Jen, clearly more qualified to represent the United States in international competition, did not. I was valedictorian of my graduating class but have never made it to the Olympics in the nine years since. I'm thinking that pond water was contaminated by cow manure runoff from the farm next to my high school.

Rooftop Decor Resolved

Sublime is a good band to listen to while sitting on a rooftop in the summer. With beers.

Beyond Parody

Disgraced, adulterous Republican Senator Larry Craig and disgraced adulterous Republican Senator David Vitter have co-sponsored the Marriage Protection Amendment.

Blast You, Teacher's Union

In what can only be described as a blow to international communism, I went back to Boonville this weekend to celebrate my mother's retirement from teaching third grade at the middle school of Adirondack Central School District. Thirty years and she's out. Take heart, fellow travelers, while she won't be able to preach our atheistic socialism to children, she'll most likely be leaching off hardworking church going taxpayers with some sort of pension. Good work, mom.

WCVB

Did channel 5 in Boston (WCVB) cut into the Euro 2008 final for a weather alert? Yes, yes they did. Congrats to Spain. Germany didn't put up much of an attack all game.

Unelected Judges

Unelected, activist (probably elitist too) judges overturn Washington, DC's ban on handguns. Seeing the personal right to gun ownership upheld is just barely better than thinking about how certain conservatives who complain about "judicial activism" are wrapping their heads around supporting the ruling. It's called "judicial review", guys. Get over it.

Link via Matt Yglesias.

28th

To the delight of Syracuse fans everywhere, Donte Greene fell to the 28th pick on Thursday. Memphis then traded Greene to the Rockets. Cuse Country doesn't think there's a spot for him. Considering he can't play defense and doesn't yet have a post game, I'm inclined to agree. If someone lights a fire under Greene's ass he might have a chance. The talent is not lacking from his game. The kid just didn't work last year in Syracuse. This, more than anything else, is what I think 'Cuse fans don't like about him. Sure, Carmello Anthony left after only a year. Even if he didn't bring home a national championship though, he busted his ass all year long. Greene never did that. On offense he never drove, got down in the post or did any work to get a shot other than stand outside the three point line. On defense he could have been a great asset on a scary back line with Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku. Instead he loafed and gave teams a lot of open three pointers. That leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

In other draft news, the Knicks picked Italian Danilo Gallinari. I know nothing about this guy so I can't tell if he's going to be an impact player or if he's going to stay in Italy. Essentially, I don't know if the Knicks are trying or just trying to keep as much money off the books.