Roger Angell was once my editor at The New Yorker, and I was a big fan of his baseball writing, particularly Five Seasons. This post, with its breathless, rhythmic and emotionally complex prose, and your heartfelt love of the sport, more than reminds me of the deep pleasures of Angell's writing. Bravo!
You write about baseball with such visceral affection, you should do it more. You remind me of Roger Angell a little. You’re not as flowery a writer but you have a similar eye for the feel of a player in the batters box, instead of writing about statistical abstractions or gossip like a lot of baseball writers.
"When Brooklynites were asked what they would do if they were in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and O’Malley, and only had two bullets in their gun, they answered without hesitation: shoot O’Malley twice."
This made me laugh unapologetically out loud in public. Great piece, Ross, on what should be a storied World Series.
I read you faithfully, mostly agreeing with your political insights and commentaries.... and I always like your sentences.
However, today's Sports article convinces me you should definitely be a Sports Writer.....you are a great Sports Writer. I am a Mets fan.....alas. I wanted a trifecta of Yankees-Mets-Liberty. Your retelling the old stories of NY baseball competition has softened the blow of the Met's loss for me. Thank you. This recent Baseball season has been the perfect gratifying distraction from the unending maelstrom we live in. Today's entry was almost a Novella. I am tempted to print this issue.....if only my printer worked.
Thank you Jean! I appreciate that. I very occasionally write about baseball for NY Mag but, yes, I don't do baseball or sportswriting regularly. I do enjoy it. The truth is there aren't a lot venues for sportswriting for those who want to get a bit creative. Sports Illustrated barely exists and a lot of the old magazines are gone. Most sportswriting today isn't great.
I'm excited after reading your article this evening,Ross, you write with such enthusiasm. Makes me think you've played for the Bigs at one point?! I'm not much of a Sports Fan, used to play baseball in school and followed New York and I always liked the Cardinals. I'll be paying more attention now ! Thanks and will reStack ASAP 🇺🇲
We want more Ross on sports! Also Brooklyn is part of New York and the Knicks are New York's team ;-) At the very least there has never been a Brooklynite of any consequence whose played for the Nets, while Bernard King, Marbury, and Mark Jackson were all shaped in Brooklyn courts and High schools. A couple seasons ago you could still watch Fort Green's finest Taj Gibson elbowing his way around the block. Go back a little further and you have Blue Devils legend Joakim Noah. Come over to the fun side Ross.
I do not know what it is about baseball that fosters good writing. I think I'm pretty objective about this. I never played the game except as a neighborhood kid, and rarely. I do not understand the game with any depth, I do not love it. And Ross is already a good writer, granted. Those things said, year in and year out, people write exceptionally well about baseball. Like this. Any wisdom you could shed on this phenomenon, Ross, would be appreciated. At any rate, thank you, keep up the good work, and enjoy the series.
My little anecdote (the first, anyway) about my experiences in the over-50 softball league:
I was playing catcher, and this home run hitter came up. He wasn't actually THAT gigantic, but he was well built. He cracked one over the left field fence and came back home pissed off, going "Shit! Shit!"
I said, "You hit a home run! What are you pissed off about?"
Skenes is interesting. He throws so hard, my fear is he's a TJ waiting to happen. I'd like to see pitchers who can throw, consistently, 200 innings a year again. Even your Verlanders/Scherzers are vanishing, and they didn't complete a lot of games compared to prior generations.
I'm an Orioles fan. I've hated the Yankees my whole life. I've still never seen the Os in the WS in my lifetime (I was born in 1983, just a few weeks after their last title).
All that said, this is a great piece. I hope this series lives up to the hype.
I'm a Cubs fan living in the Bay Area now. Since Cubs, Giants, and A's all sucked this year, I was really liking the O's. But they kinda petered out at the end. Santander would come up, and I'd be excited, but then I'd remember he'd. been pretty mediocre lately.
There is something infinitely depressing about the "Juggernauts" of sport--i.e., the billionaires who can exhaust hundreds of millions of dollars buying up Sotos and Ohtanis, Judges and Freemans to serve on their plantations and entertain massa--40 Million Dollar Slaves, indeed.
How can it be bad for the country for billionaires to have undue influence, but great for baseball? It isn't. Yankees and Dodgers fans mistake what is good for their team to be good for the game. That won't stop Fox Sports and pundits from trying to convince America we're witnessing halcyon days!!! Ancient rivalries! Yogi and Jackie Robinson smile down from heaven!!!
I'm not yet ready to celebrate the rich buying whatever they want--including World Series rings.
Don't agree. Also, baseball has a lot of parity. It's not like the Yankees and Dodgers play every year anymore. Last year's World Series was Texas v. Arizona, and it was mid-market Houston dominating baseball before then. The playoff format allows for a lot more randomness. There's also a luxury tax (which is anti-player, and I don't love) which restrains the spending of the Yankees.
Parity is an illusion when a tax is spread out over 20 teams and in no way enables the disadvantaged teams to afford an offer to Ohtanis, Freemans, Judges and Sotos the NY and LA can and do make every free agency. The tax is crumbs from their table--the rich markets always front load star talent. It may not guarantee a World Series but it sure as hell gives an unfair advantage.
Yup, money goes far but money alone can't tell the story. LA has won the NL West every year but one since 2013. They've engineered a great organization. Yankees don't even win that much.
The juggernaut Yankees haven’t even sniffed the World Series in 15 years until now and the big spending Dodgers only have the 2020 Covid wiffleball tournament to show for their big spending ways. Last year was the Diamondbacks versus the Rangers. There’s been a different winner every year for the past 10 years.
While we don't agree politically this piece was great and we are brothers in pinstripes.....and the key to healing this great divide is finding common ground.....like the Yankees. Brilliant Ross....hope we celebrate 27 together.....just before 47 gets elected ;-)
Roger Angell was once my editor at The New Yorker, and I was a big fan of his baseball writing, particularly Five Seasons. This post, with its breathless, rhythmic and emotionally complex prose, and your heartfelt love of the sport, more than reminds me of the deep pleasures of Angell's writing. Bravo!
Thank you Philip, that means a lot! I would have loved to read Roger on Juan Soto.
I am looking forward to your game by game analysis of this forthcoming World Series.
You write about baseball with such visceral affection, you should do it more. You remind me of Roger Angell a little. You’re not as flowery a writer but you have a similar eye for the feel of a player in the batters box, instead of writing about statistical abstractions or gossip like a lot of baseball writers.
Thank you, that's very kind. I try to bring a human feel to it.
"When Brooklynites were asked what they would do if they were in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and O’Malley, and only had two bullets in their gun, they answered without hesitation: shoot O’Malley twice."
This made me laugh unapologetically out loud in public. Great piece, Ross, on what should be a storied World Series.
I read you faithfully, mostly agreeing with your political insights and commentaries.... and I always like your sentences.
However, today's Sports article convinces me you should definitely be a Sports Writer.....you are a great Sports Writer. I am a Mets fan.....alas. I wanted a trifecta of Yankees-Mets-Liberty. Your retelling the old stories of NY baseball competition has softened the blow of the Met's loss for me. Thank you. This recent Baseball season has been the perfect gratifying distraction from the unending maelstrom we live in. Today's entry was almost a Novella. I am tempted to print this issue.....if only my printer worked.
jean m.
Thank you Jean! I appreciate that. I very occasionally write about baseball for NY Mag but, yes, I don't do baseball or sportswriting regularly. I do enjoy it. The truth is there aren't a lot venues for sportswriting for those who want to get a bit creative. Sports Illustrated barely exists and a lot of the old magazines are gone. Most sportswriting today isn't great.
I'm excited after reading your article this evening,Ross, you write with such enthusiasm. Makes me think you've played for the Bigs at one point?! I'm not much of a Sports Fan, used to play baseball in school and followed New York and I always liked the Cardinals. I'll be paying more attention now ! Thanks and will reStack ASAP 🇺🇲
never the bigs, just high school, ha
We want more Ross on sports! Also Brooklyn is part of New York and the Knicks are New York's team ;-) At the very least there has never been a Brooklynite of any consequence whose played for the Nets, while Bernard King, Marbury, and Mark Jackson were all shaped in Brooklyn courts and High schools. A couple seasons ago you could still watch Fort Green's finest Taj Gibson elbowing his way around the block. Go back a little further and you have Blue Devils legend Joakim Noah. Come over to the fun side Ross.
I remember Noah very well at Poly!
One team apparently doesn't do Moneyball, the White Sox. And they just broke the Mets 120 game record.
I do not know what it is about baseball that fosters good writing. I think I'm pretty objective about this. I never played the game except as a neighborhood kid, and rarely. I do not understand the game with any depth, I do not love it. And Ross is already a good writer, granted. Those things said, year in and year out, people write exceptionally well about baseball. Like this. Any wisdom you could shed on this phenomenon, Ross, would be appreciated. At any rate, thank you, keep up the good work, and enjoy the series.
I am not much of a sports fan, but that's some damn good writing, thanks.
My little anecdote (the first, anyway) about my experiences in the over-50 softball league:
I was playing catcher, and this home run hitter came up. He wasn't actually THAT gigantic, but he was well built. He cracked one over the left field fence and came back home pissed off, going "Shit! Shit!"
I said, "You hit a home run! What are you pissed off about?"
He said, "I was going for left-center."
You’ve got to wonder if having a starter who could reliably go 6 innings would now be an advantage because every team optimized in the other direction
Yes, I think so. It's the new hack. It's why the Yankees are well-positioned in this series.
Yes! I've been thinking the exact same thing lately. You're going to burn out the relievers from overuse after a while.
Hopefully guys like Paul Skenes in Pittsburgh can help make the starting pitcher great again.
Skenes is interesting. He throws so hard, my fear is he's a TJ waiting to happen. I'd like to see pitchers who can throw, consistently, 200 innings a year again. Even your Verlanders/Scherzers are vanishing, and they didn't complete a lot of games compared to prior generations.
I'm with Pedro Martinez on this stuff. We're killing guys' elbows.
https://x.com/45PedroMartinez/status/1777888095704138138
https://x.com/45PedroMartinez/status/1777892308152713373
https://x.com/45PedroMartinez/status/1777893118987121084
I'm an Orioles fan. I've hated the Yankees my whole life. I've still never seen the Os in the WS in my lifetime (I was born in 1983, just a few weeks after their last title).
All that said, this is a great piece. I hope this series lives up to the hype.
I'm a Cubs fan living in the Bay Area now. Since Cubs, Giants, and A's all sucked this year, I was really liking the O's. But they kinda petered out at the end. Santander would come up, and I'd be excited, but then I'd remember he'd. been pretty mediocre lately.
There is something infinitely depressing about the "Juggernauts" of sport--i.e., the billionaires who can exhaust hundreds of millions of dollars buying up Sotos and Ohtanis, Judges and Freemans to serve on their plantations and entertain massa--40 Million Dollar Slaves, indeed.
How can it be bad for the country for billionaires to have undue influence, but great for baseball? It isn't. Yankees and Dodgers fans mistake what is good for their team to be good for the game. That won't stop Fox Sports and pundits from trying to convince America we're witnessing halcyon days!!! Ancient rivalries! Yogi and Jackie Robinson smile down from heaven!!!
I'm not yet ready to celebrate the rich buying whatever they want--including World Series rings.
Don't agree. Also, baseball has a lot of parity. It's not like the Yankees and Dodgers play every year anymore. Last year's World Series was Texas v. Arizona, and it was mid-market Houston dominating baseball before then. The playoff format allows for a lot more randomness. There's also a luxury tax (which is anti-player, and I don't love) which restrains the spending of the Yankees.
Parity is an illusion when a tax is spread out over 20 teams and in no way enables the disadvantaged teams to afford an offer to Ohtanis, Freemans, Judges and Sotos the NY and LA can and do make every free agency. The tax is crumbs from their table--the rich markets always front load star talent. It may not guarantee a World Series but it sure as hell gives an unfair advantage.
That can't possibly be good for the game.
The Dodgers have also spent a ton on free agents who never panned out. How many of these guys will you be seeing this world series?
https://dodgersnation.com/freeagents/
Also, ask LA's other team, the Angels. They gave 10 years/$240 mil to Albert Pujols (now retired) and 7 years/$245 mil to Anthony Rendon.
And Mike Trout got 12 years/$426.5 mil. In spite of all that spending, the team is in shambles.
Yup, money goes far but money alone can't tell the story. LA has won the NL West every year but one since 2013. They've engineered a great organization. Yankees don't even win that much.
The juggernaut Yankees haven’t even sniffed the World Series in 15 years until now and the big spending Dodgers only have the 2020 Covid wiffleball tournament to show for their big spending ways. Last year was the Diamondbacks versus the Rangers. There’s been a different winner every year for the past 10 years.
Yes, hence why this WS is special and more exciting
While we don't agree politically this piece was great and we are brothers in pinstripes.....and the key to healing this great divide is finding common ground.....like the Yankees. Brilliant Ross....hope we celebrate 27 together.....just before 47 gets elected ;-)