Friday, October 8, 2010

Reading Journal 10/8

Sports? Who cares about sports right? Oh and baseball? It is said to be America’s favorite past time but I can find countless people who would disagree with that. As the air becomes crisper and the leaves begin to change I fill excitement, sure its pumpkin pie and apple season, but the only thing that could possibly be better than that is postseason baseball. Baseball has always been a love of mine, It grew up with me, and as our relationship has matured we still have a firm grasp on each other.
Everyday I curl up on the couch with some snacks and begin the ritual of watching postseason ball; there is a true art to being a baseball fan from knowing the nicks and knacks of the game, to memorizing every player and everything else in between its something you must develop.
This year in baseball had 5 perfect games or no hitters; a feat in baseball that is typically only reserved for the best players in history. As you compare this year to the seasons of the past it is a number that is unlikely to ever be beaten, this feat is something greater then great.
Two days ago Philadelphia Phillies ace pitcher Roy Halladay started his first ever postseason start in his twelve year career, turns out this start was the second no hitter in baseball postseason history since Don Larsens perfect game in game five of the 1956 world series when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn.
Typically sports don’t make headline news, but when the subtle barrier that divides history and sports is broken you have headline news. The history that Roy Halladay created marks a new error in sports when the records of the past are broken by the stars of today.
The two articles I digested were on CNN.com and SI.com, one focused on the sheer magnitude of his accomplishment, and the other commented on the relationship between Halladay and Larsen and how after he accomplished the feat Larson had a conversation with him about how special of a pitcher he really is. The relationship between new and old is something that should never go away, it allows history to be created and the past to be appreciated.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/06/phillies-halladay-no-hits-reds-in-playoff-opener/?iref=allsearch

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/cliff_corcoran/10/06/halladay.larsen/index.html

1 comment:

  1. Patrick - while I'm thrilled you're so into baseball, I'm a little confused by this reaction piece. I've learned a lot about the Phillies - who I understand have a great season ahead of them - but not much about the media you've been engaged with. I need to see you deconstructing what you're reading. Analyizing what the authors you read are doing from a journalistic perspective. If this does not make sense to you, please come and see me because it's important.

    c-

    ReplyDelete