Great interviews but the obvious point of contention that stuck out to me as a baseball fan:
“the competitive imbalance that results in the Dodgers essentially being an All-Star Team while other teams essentially feature AAA lineups”
Considering the writer is a fan of the Mets, who spent just as much money but are close to the worst team in baseball, he certainly comes across as someone with an axe to grind. “Why doesn’t my billion dollar team look like that?!” Competitive imbalance is so much less of a problem in MLB than in dozens of other sporting leagues, and the onus lies directly on the owners rather than the league itself. MLB is already promoting a salary cap, which the players association for obvious reasons are not interested in. One can’t help but think of he’s missed the bigger picture here, what else has he missed in his book?
I'm impressed with Kendric staying in that village in Shimane. I have cycled through it a few times and the coastline is very pretty, but it is indeed remote. If you ever decide to go see where the paintings were painted then you'll probably enjoy the walks.
What seems to be happening with the population is that it is moving from the remote village to the local towns, in the case of Iinoura that is Masuda. Masuda is moderately thriving and has a wonderful night life.
Lovely interviews. It's interesting that you're raising your fists at the sky, asking Japan to give you curves in the awful symmetry that runs through the urban planning, when actually so much of Japanese traditional aesthetics is about flow and curve. Calligraphy or ikebana (though ironically through manipulation) try to mirror nature's flow.
My village is known for its terraced rice fields, and there was a moment generations ago when they had to decide whether to completely flatten a part of the mountain to create one giant square of rice field, or keep the landscape and make paddy fields that bend and curve with nature––the latter was chosen! It's such a pain to farm now, but I'm really grateful that these curves were protected!
Point of parliamentary inquiry: the end of The Natural is the home run that smashes the lights. The interviewee is probably referring to Kevin Costner’s game of catch with his dad in Field of Dreams. Both good movies, both about baseball.
Baseball in the minors and collegiate leagues is a blast. Totally different from MLB or even AAA. No replays, no ABS challenges. Accessible players, sour note National Anthems, windshield shattering foul balls and a certain goofy feel to the whole enterprise. Like the drunk UMP who got sent home by the fans, only to be replaced by the rent-a-cop unlucky enough to get too close to the event.
But every once in a while, baseball magic happens. The bunt that becomes an in-the-park homer because of compounded throwing errors. The pitcher that loads the bases with three successive hit batters then fans the next three for a scoreless inning.
If you're a patient fan, tears of joy and wonder will happen.
Great interviews but the obvious point of contention that stuck out to me as a baseball fan:
“the competitive imbalance that results in the Dodgers essentially being an All-Star Team while other teams essentially feature AAA lineups”
Considering the writer is a fan of the Mets, who spent just as much money but are close to the worst team in baseball, he certainly comes across as someone with an axe to grind. “Why doesn’t my billion dollar team look like that?!” Competitive imbalance is so much less of a problem in MLB than in dozens of other sporting leagues, and the onus lies directly on the owners rather than the league itself. MLB is already promoting a salary cap, which the players association for obvious reasons are not interested in. One can’t help but think of he’s missed the bigger picture here, what else has he missed in his book?
I'm impressed with Kendric staying in that village in Shimane. I have cycled through it a few times and the coastline is very pretty, but it is indeed remote. If you ever decide to go see where the paintings were painted then you'll probably enjoy the walks.
What seems to be happening with the population is that it is moving from the remote village to the local towns, in the case of Iinoura that is Masuda. Masuda is moderately thriving and has a wonderful night life.
Maybe that's what Thick Travel is underneath, buying back with time the inefficiency everything else has optimized away.
Lovely interviews. It's interesting that you're raising your fists at the sky, asking Japan to give you curves in the awful symmetry that runs through the urban planning, when actually so much of Japanese traditional aesthetics is about flow and curve. Calligraphy or ikebana (though ironically through manipulation) try to mirror nature's flow.
My village is known for its terraced rice fields, and there was a moment generations ago when they had to decide whether to completely flatten a part of the mountain to create one giant square of rice field, or keep the landscape and make paddy fields that bend and curve with nature––the latter was chosen! It's such a pain to farm now, but I'm really grateful that these curves were protected!
Fantastic interviews, both were a delight to read :)
Point of parliamentary inquiry: the end of The Natural is the home run that smashes the lights. The interviewee is probably referring to Kevin Costner’s game of catch with his dad in Field of Dreams. Both good movies, both about baseball.
https://youtu.be/nsyDc691KkA?si=XJAJ16KrZtwVA9lG
thank you for that, but no, I was referring to the game of catch Robert Redford plays with his son in the Natural.
Baseball in the minors and collegiate leagues is a blast. Totally different from MLB or even AAA. No replays, no ABS challenges. Accessible players, sour note National Anthems, windshield shattering foul balls and a certain goofy feel to the whole enterprise. Like the drunk UMP who got sent home by the fans, only to be replaced by the rent-a-cop unlucky enough to get too close to the event.
But every once in a while, baseball magic happens. The bunt that becomes an in-the-park homer because of compounded throwing errors. The pitcher that loads the bases with three successive hit batters then fans the next three for a scoreless inning.
If you're a patient fan, tears of joy and wonder will happen.