“In his classic tribute to America’s pastime, political commentator, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and lifelong sports enthusiast George F. Will travels from the baseball field to the dugout to the locker room to get to the root of the game we all love. He breaks down the sport to its four basic components, managing, pitching, hitting, and fielding, and analyzes the way four of its notables, manager Tony La Russa, pitcher Orel Hershiser, outfielder Tony Gwynn, and shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., approach the game. One of the most acclaimed sports books ever written, Men at Work is a revelatory, and often surprising, study of professional baseball.”
The watch is a two-tone Rolex Submariner with automatic movement, date window, luminous hands, luminous numerals, luminous indices, rotating bezel, screw-down crown, central seconds, a certified chronometer.
Baseball is a difficult sport for our modern, high-tech, high-speed society in which viewers demand instant gratification. It values tradition, and “unwritten rules” over flash and celebrity. It also appeals to a regional audience more than a national, or global audience.
When I grew up, everyone could relate to playing baseball — from a Pulitzer Prize winning author to a certain Army rabbi from Brooklyn — because as kids we can do reasonably well at baseball without needing exceptional athletic skill. After all, even the professional hitters fail more than 60% of the time!
Now, e-sports and fantasy sports are replacing the actual physical activity and participation. I wonder how I would feel if I traveled 200 years into the future.
As for George Will. We are both from the same hometown and are both Reagan Conservatives. I enjoy much of his work, but I don’t always agree with his point of view. I certainly don’t think Biden is the best option in 2020!
By the way, Robert, a very nice watch.
Joe — your comment about baseball is pretty well on point, as is your observation regarding e-sports. We have a lot of soft kids around. Big bellies, piercings and tattoos. They look like crapola.
BTW how many watches do you have Robert? I’ll bet if you sold a couple you could get that Morgan! 😉
Call me un-American. I don’t hate baseball, I just think it is too slow a game and it bores me. Like watching a croquet match for some games.
Now I do know there is a whole layer of strategy under the boredom, but for me a game has to be fast paced.
I used to think of soccer the same way until a friend with season tickets put me on the “50 yard line” (whatever they call it).
It is a lot more exciting to watch in person than on the TV.
I went to see the Oakland As years ago, and it consisted of 3 innings up – 3 fly balls.
For each team – with a run or 2 thrown in.
Yawn.