Thoughts on 756 other than the ones on my Hank & Barry post of March 2nd, 2007 :
1. Lou Piniella (baseball genius) on Barry: 'He's like the action hero and the villain at the same time.'
2. Perhaps this is the period end of era cherry on top because we're finally "all full up" (says Tinky Winky) from gorging ourselves on extra appetizers, desserts, after-dinner drinks, after after-dinner drink mints, steroids, hgh, botox, gratuitous limo exeunt beaver shots and flipping real estate holdings to borrow more from Peter to pay less to Paul (while ignoring universal infrastructure concerns as defined by a pre-existing social contract)?
3. Or maybe this is only just the real starter pistol for the glib cocktail party conversation that bleeds into the the ongoing general debate about how much shortcut nip-tuck and welbutrin we should allow ourselves before we're no longer anywhere in the vicinity of real (whatever that is).
4. Or maybe we've just erased all the old lines in the sand?
5. Where were those lines again?
6. Lines? What lines?
7. Whah?
8. AND/OR: I feel big and perfect and immortal forever while I stand in this batters box with my arms stretched high to the sky. Thank you Willie. Thanks Dad. Thanks Hank. Thanks Lord Jeezuh Christuh Vishnu Buddha and my Michael Jackson nose within. I point up to you all in thanks. You are above me, but not too far above me because I'm on a Lucite Olympic medal stand now. I'm weeping now. See the 'clear' drops fall down swollen face. Now the weeping is over? Give me some space out at the mound. Step aside: I dance my 756 dance. I'm gonna pull off this tear away jersey to reveal my enormous Michelin built bulk. Then the tear away pants. Look, I'm wearing a gold encrusted jockstrap. But the cleats and sanitary socks remain. I glisten (wetly while dry). I twirl. I roar. I'm just an entertainer doing what I do best.
9. Barry says to us all: Why all the negativity?
10. My grandmother answers Barry on behalf of us all: If you don't know the answer to that one, I can't explain it to you.
One other interesting note raised by Friend Gloria Esteh-phan Loiza: Barry Bonds does not have a nickname: No Sultan of Swat or Splendid Splinter. Neither a Stan the Man nor a Donnie Baseball. I'd say this is because the only truly human characteristics Barry embodies are greed and pathos. One is wrong. The other a giant let-down. Nicknames are for the guys you can connect with - identify with or aspire to be. Though sometimes distant/cold, DiMaggio had undeniably heroic characteristics. His contemporaries found him beyond reproach - spoke of his play in hushed/reverent tones. His teams fed off of his substantial accomplishments. When he returned from his frequent injuries, he felt an even greater responsibility to live up to his promise - on behalf of his team. He said he always played the game right because he recognized that some in any pre-TV crowd had never seen him in action, might never see him again. I don't often agree with Mike Lupica's shots from the Lip but he's right in saying that, until further notice, DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak is now the most meaningful baseball record.
DiMag's 3 well known nicknames: Joe D, Joltin' Joe and the wonderfully descriptive Yankee Clipper.
1. Lou Piniella (baseball genius) on Barry: 'He's like the action hero and the villain at the same time.'
2. Perhaps this is the period end of era cherry on top because we're finally "all full up" (says Tinky Winky) from gorging ourselves on extra appetizers, desserts, after-dinner drinks, after after-dinner drink mints, steroids, hgh, botox, gratuitous limo exeunt beaver shots and flipping real estate holdings to borrow more from Peter to pay less to Paul (while ignoring universal infrastructure concerns as defined by a pre-existing social contract)?
3. Or maybe this is only just the real starter pistol for the glib cocktail party conversation that bleeds into the the ongoing general debate about how much shortcut nip-tuck and welbutrin we should allow ourselves before we're no longer anywhere in the vicinity of real (whatever that is).
4. Or maybe we've just erased all the old lines in the sand?
5. Where were those lines again?
6. Lines? What lines?
7. Whah?
8. AND/OR: I feel big and perfect and immortal forever while I stand in this batters box with my arms stretched high to the sky. Thank you Willie. Thanks Dad. Thanks Hank. Thanks Lord Jeezuh Christuh Vishnu Buddha and my Michael Jackson nose within. I point up to you all in thanks. You are above me, but not too far above me because I'm on a Lucite Olympic medal stand now. I'm weeping now. See the 'clear' drops fall down swollen face. Now the weeping is over? Give me some space out at the mound. Step aside: I dance my 756 dance. I'm gonna pull off this tear away jersey to reveal my enormous Michelin built bulk. Then the tear away pants. Look, I'm wearing a gold encrusted jockstrap. But the cleats and sanitary socks remain. I glisten (wetly while dry). I twirl. I roar. I'm just an entertainer doing what I do best.
9. Barry says to us all: Why all the negativity?
10. My grandmother answers Barry on behalf of us all: If you don't know the answer to that one, I can't explain it to you.
One other interesting note raised by Friend Gloria Esteh-phan Loiza: Barry Bonds does not have a nickname: No Sultan of Swat or Splendid Splinter. Neither a Stan the Man nor a Donnie Baseball. I'd say this is because the only truly human characteristics Barry embodies are greed and pathos. One is wrong. The other a giant let-down. Nicknames are for the guys you can connect with - identify with or aspire to be. Though sometimes distant/cold, DiMaggio had undeniably heroic characteristics. His contemporaries found him beyond reproach - spoke of his play in hushed/reverent tones. His teams fed off of his substantial accomplishments. When he returned from his frequent injuries, he felt an even greater responsibility to live up to his promise - on behalf of his team. He said he always played the game right because he recognized that some in any pre-TV crowd had never seen him in action, might never see him again. I don't often agree with Mike Lupica's shots from the Lip but he's right in saying that, until further notice, DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak is now the most meaningful baseball record.
DiMag's 3 well known nicknames: Joe D, Joltin' Joe and the wonderfully descriptive Yankee Clipper.
posted by BOOCOCK'S PHILOSOPHY OF BASEBALL at
3:30 PM
1 Comments:
A most interesting observation about BB not having a nickname, especially since he has BBs for initials. While I am on this, can you tell me if Hank Aaron has a nickname? Or for that matter, can you tell me if any black players are nicknamed since Satchel Paige? I am not a close student of the subject, but I think the answer is No which raises a really interesting line of questioning. What do you think?
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