Archive for Audio and/or Visual

“The purpose of art,” the present author has often proffered, while nursing a brandy, to an eager and waiting audience, “is to re-create the entire Human Condition in a single, unapologetic volley.”

It was that precise wisdom-thought which the author had in mind when he took the photo embedded here of Fifth Third Bank Ballpark — home of Class-A Cubs affiliate, the Kane County Cougars — in Geneva, Illinois, this past Saturday. It was also the wisdom-thought he (i.e. that same author) had in mind when he very artfully applied one of Instagram’s default filters to the image in question, before uploading it to his entirely unique profile page on that same site.

Click here for other enlightening installments of NotGraphs Video Scouting.

The Kansas City Royals have lost seven in a row. The worst of it (so far) was a humiliating four-game sweep at the hands of the Angels, a series in which the Angels started Jason Vargas, Jerome Williams, Joe Blanton, and, perhaps worst of all, Billy Buckner. Buckner was a former Royals prospect traded away back in 2007, who, until this last game, had not pitched in the majors since 2010. He shut the Royals out for five innings and was promptly sent back down.

Enough of the misery! These are hard times in Royals-land. After years of hard times. It may take divine intervention to restore the wholeness of “Royals Nation” or whatever stupid name people want to give to collective Royals fandom. In hopes of restoration let us turn to the hymnal words of G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), the early twentieth-century English Catholic writer, whose works span philosophy, theology, history, cultural and social criticism, and, yes, poetry, on this day of Chesterton’s birth, which I totally knew about and did not need to be told by someone on Twitter. “Coincidences are life’s spiritual puns,” indeed.

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Munenori Kawasaki is an international treasure. He is the kind of person UNESCO names a world heritage site. He has graced the sport of baseball like a meteorite of majesty and has pebbled our humble earth with GIF, video clip, and quote in his beautiful contrail.

On Sunday, Muni went 3-for-5 with a game-winning, walkoff double against the Baltimore Nonemploying-Kawasakis. A cadre of Toronto Kawasakis met Kawasaki in the middle of the field, and Cananada’s Torontoist city stirred and sparkled with the glory of Muni. For some reason, the television crew elected to interview Kawasaki utilityman Mark DeRosa instead of Kawasaki shortstop and game-winner Munenori Kawasaki.

But DeRosa knew. He had seen the glimmering majesty.
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Both the present author and Brewers reliever John Axford are professionals in their respective fields. As a result, any and all conversations conducted between them are, by definition, professional conversations.

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While eventually only losing by a score of 7-6, the Milwaukee Brewers conceded five of the Cardinals’ seven total runs in the first inning of the clubs’ Friday night game in St. Louis (box).

That the evening might be a difficult one was not lost on veteran broadcaster and muscular bodyguard of leisure Bob Uecker, who informed the Listening Public how much beer would be a sufficient amount to bring him peace.

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