I'm back. Sort of. Real-world commitments are nipping at my heels and I haven't really been moved to pontificate on the subject of baseball this off-season. The World Baseball Classic has not put me in the mood, nor has Frank DeFord's usually reliable Wednesday-morning commentary on NPR's Morning Edition. DeFord's back to beating the drum on Barry Bonds and steroids -- his latest report calls for MLB to expel Bonds and cast out all cheaters. I was onyl on my first cup of coffee this morning, but I swear DeFord was invoking Lady MacBeth's "out, out damn spot" monologue on this morning's thinkpiece. Total histrionics.
Anyway, here's the new stadium design that the Washington Nationals unveiled during a press conference yesterday afternoon. At first glance, I don't like it -- for $611 million dollars, I'd think a firm could envision something a little more creative than this rehash of Milwaukee's ballpark. The idea here is that patrons will get a distinct view of the Washington Monument, with outfield sightlines penetrating towards the West of the city. But why not reorient it for a better view of the riverfront, which is one of the main calling cards of the parks in San Francisco and Pittsburgh? Basically, the Nationals will go from having the ugliest stadium (RFK, not really their fault) in MLB to having the ugliest new-school park in MLB (the White Sox can breathe a heavy sigh of relief). I feel a little bad for Anthony Williams and the city council, but the ownership situation needs to get squared away soon before the goodwill from '05 is erased. Because Jim Bowden just engineered the worst off-season of any team and the prospects of even a middle-of-the-pack finish look dreadful with that pitching staff.Big ups to DMZ at U.S.S. Mariner for his recent scientific/ sabermetric study of the classic "Baseball Bugs" cartoon. He discussed Richard Feynman and wormholes and suggests probable causes for all of the myriad improbabilities in the cartoon world. The entire staff of that blog is currently writing circles around any of the baseball hobbyists, but that post is firing on all cylinders. Read it and weep.