“Noodle Arm”
The man sits regally and casually; wearing old style European clothing. Perhaps I felt this way because I was sitting in a park that reminded me of Spain– buildings towering around us in order to block out the sunlight. A couple of hummingbirds zip by me; connected in a seemingly sexual position. What a strange sound. As my attention span carbon copies the urban wildlife I notice that the “European” man is staring at me. (This is also known as the “devils” work of double–sense deluding.) The man rises and quietly opens an aluminum walker. And it is a woman. She was simply waiting for her granddaughter in the outside smoking section of a train depot in the middle of Los Angeles.
I rub my eyes and grab a newspaper to pass the time; a rare and tragic event that I enjoy and makes me look like a moth-eaten antique.
FRONT PAGE: More cosmetic culture. An American culture that cultivates an idea of a free destiny within a firmly imposed but imperceptible and uniform attitude. Most people are confused by this dilemma and just choose the easy way out: make money and fuck everyone else. Who am I to judge? I’ve done the same with impunity and thought I was better for it. We learn to sleep at night with no guilt. Sometimes that sense of peace and safety is all we have to hold on to.
ENTERTAINMENT: Idiot hip-hop artists and their self-importance; a soon-to-be-dead genre because of its chichi and an unrealistic approach to self-impressions as well as economics, actors schlepping terrible movies that will be forgotten within weeks, the occasional mass-produced book review, artists trying to make money from David Bowie’s still fresh corpse etc.
SPORTS: The A’s have acquired Khris Davis from the Milwaukee Brewers. Left fielder with some pop and a noodle arm. So– the only weakness is that we wont get a 7-5 tag-out during a dink base hit; and at least I am slightly reassured that Beane (or whoever the hell the new G.M. may be) is at least trying to put a competitive team on the field in 2016 and not tanking like many other teams……although everyone knows if they start slowly, the FOR SALE signs will quickly go up again.
I fold the newspaper and lay it on the bench for future travelers. The thought fades as soon as it appears.
Coco Crisp's Afro 
At least you didn’t spend $161 million on your Khris-Chris.
Oh man…I think I’ll stick with our Khris….I think I told you that the O’s would regret that signing. I hope I’m wrong for your sake.
Oh, I think you’re absolutely right … these mega-deals rarely end well. But, I think the O’s had to do it. While I don’t think Davis will live up to the “Crush”, his signing heartened O’s fans and Davis in the lineup will sell tickets at least for the next season or two … and, at the end of the day, that’s what ownership really wants, right?
Wonder how many people know what a newspaper is anymore?
v
nobody.
Silly me, I still work for one!
That makes one. 🙂
v
It’s a sad state of affairs that print is slowly dying. One of my favorite past–times is hanging out in bookstores. Fortunately a few of my favorites are still around and haven’t bit the dust like so many others.
Yeah, it’s takes a large degree of passion and dedication to maintain a role in this age of print.
I have been looking for an old newspaper that I can wrinkle into the shape of a mitt to transplant potted cactus. If I had that paper, I’d have a slow start to the chore, because I would get lost in the box scores first.
“make money and fuck everyone else. ”
This needs to be a bumper sticker!
…or it could be silkscreened onto one of those over sized t-shirts that all the hip-hop kids wear these days.
Khris Davis is soft spoken and hard working, but that arm, yes, that arm. I think he went to football quarterback camp or some such training? to improve so he has the will or maybe more importantly he has the DH now and he already has a signature home run trot….as he crosses the plate, he does a sort of Reefer Alston hop skip side twist jump. I will miss him, but Nottingham as you said, a catcher with some power. May the exchanges continue.
Gary – I love the post.
As for the new left fielder, I can’t say I know much about the arm. It’s never good to let the runner score from third on a routine fly ball, but it’s always good to have a little more pop with the swing. Let’s take it and see how things go.
PS – The world needs moth-eaten antiques these days.
Thanks Bruce. I was afraid that the post wouldn’t connect with readers because of the cynicism; yet I’m afraid that’s how I truly feel concerning the current political state of affairs. I originally started this blog as an ‘easy’ writing exercise, but it has become increasingly difficult to write about uninteresting individuals who just happen to be good at a sport.
Well, count me as one who didn’t respond that way. I like it.
I sometimes think I could enjoy writing a baseball blog, but maybe not. It’s a long season, as they say. 162 games, add spring training, post-season series 1, 2, 3 and 4 (did I miss any), the winter trade talks and I might have to renegotiate the contract. I don’t know if I would have the legs for the commitment.
Anyway, when one reads your K. Davis post, they can be forgiven if they don’t necessarily remember it as a blog post about K. Davis or even baseball. Just as the writer intended, I think.
I feel the same way, Gary.
Glen