Wednesday, 30 December 2009

It's like that time I hung out with Derrida and we only talked about our cats.*

I'm easing back on the Internets by trying to find the most optimistic spin on the Jason Bay signing—Dewan ranking him at -1 runs defensively wins so far—but three of the most respected baseball minds out there are silent on the issue because they're arguing about the greatest movie musicals of all time. I'm not kidding: Keith Law, Joe Posnanski and Tangotiger are currently debating the relative merits of Mamma Mia instead of telling me how I should feel about my beloved Mets signing a 31-year-old outfielder with old-player skills to a four-year deal with an easy vesting option for his age 36 season.

*True story.

Dec 30, 2009 9:23:00 AM | Academia, Béisbol

7 Comments

P.T. Smith

Please do not let me know if you manage to put a positive spin on the Bay signing, as I am currently managing with skill the aspect of my Boston heritage that allows me to be convinced that A) It is awful that the Sox let him go, and B) It is a terrible signing for the Mets.

Posted by: P.T. Smith | Wednesday, 30 December 2009 at 10:00 AM

P.T. Smith

As for you discussing cats with Derrida, I love it. I have a real love for disappointing interactions when intelligent people meet. (Okay, so as much as I like your blog here, you meeting Derrida isn't really on the same level as my favorite examples, but hey.) Kurosawa meeting his hero, Ford.
Ford: You really like rain.
Kurosawa: You've really been paying attention to my films.

Kurosawa meeting Tarkovsky:
And we toasted vodka at the restaurant in the Film Institute. Tarkovsky, who didn't drink usually, drank a lot of vodka, and went so far as to turn off the speaker from which music had floated into the restaurant, and began to sing the theme of samurai from Seven Samurai at the top of his voice.

And, of course, Proust and Joyce:
Joyce complained of his eyes, Proust of his stomach. Did M. Joyce like truffles? He did. Had he met the Duchesse de X? He had not. ‘I regret that I do not know M. Joyce’s work,’ remarked Proust. ‘I have never read M. Proust,’ Joyce [lied].

I think I'd be disappointed to hear of brilliant ideas being discussed.

Posted by: P.T. Smith | Wednesday, 30 December 2009 at 10:10 AM

SEK

I am currently managing with skill the aspect of my Boston heritage that allows me to be convinced that A) It is awful that the Sox let him go, and B) It is a terrible signing for the Mets.

I likely mentioned this before, but I'm hoping that Cameron will be better than Bay for the Sox and that Bay will be a boon for the Mets, as both situations diminish the Yankees, which is all that really matters.

Proust and Joyce

Where does that come from? I don't remember it in the Ellmann, but then again, it's been a long time since I've been a serious Joycean.

Posted by: SEK | Wednesday, 30 December 2009 at 11:37 AM

joeyhepatitis

According to this guy, the Joyce/Proust anecdote was lifted from George Painter's bio of Proust and John Richardson's bio of Picasso. I had heard the story before, but haven't read either of those biographies, so it's probably also mentioned in Ellmann or How Proust Can Change Your Life by De Botton.

Posted by: joeyhepatitis | Wednesday, 30 December 2009 at 12:58 PM

P.T. Smith

I would have linked to the same source, but I only thought to find anything because I'd heard that anectdote from a college professor who was a big Proustian.

I likely mentioned this before, but I'm hoping that Cameron will be better than Bay for the Sox and that Bay will be a boon for the Mets, as both situations diminish the Yankees, which is all that really matters.

Okay, I'm on board with that. The Yankees - the baseball world's source of peace through mutual hatred/fear (which as Watchmen taught us, is the most direct way to peace).

Posted by: P.T. Smith | Wednesday, 30 December 2009 at 01:07 PM

Adam Roberts

I've resisted saying this long enough, now. Cricket. There.

Posted by: Adam Roberts | Thursday, 31 December 2009 at 07:38 AM

P.T. Smith

I've resisted saying this long enough, now. Cricket. There.

Adam, you are probably the only author I am going to eventually read not because his books sound interesting (they do) or because they have been recommended (they have), and not because they write thoughtful, intelligent things online (you probably have and I've missed it), but because he makes brief, highly amusing comments on blogs (here and The Valve).

Posted by: P.T. Smith | Thursday, 31 December 2009 at 07:56 AM

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