March 30, 2003

Baseball and blogshares

As I write this, I'm listening to the first baseball broadcast of the new season. I'm a fan; I have been since 1959, when I was a kid in Los Angeles. The city was discovering the newly-arrived Dodgers at the same time I was, and we were rewarded by a World Series championship that year. I've been hooked ever since, even though I quickly learned that a World Series victory was something to be savored, as it can be an elusive thing to catch again (see Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs). One of the greatest pleasures for a true baseball fan can be reading about the game, particularly games that were of historical value to the sport (Reggie Jackson's three homers in 1977; the Angels' come-from-behind wins last year). As far as I'm concerned, Roger Angell of The New Yorker is the best living baseball writer in America, and he has been for forty years. This month Harcourt has published a new collection of his work; it's called Game Time: A Baseball Companion; if you're a fan of baseball, or just good writing, I recommend it.

I have happily been accumulating shares of blogs all day, so all you folks be aware that at the next shareholders' meeting you will be faced with stern questions!

And finally, dumb question of the day: my taskbar (Win 95) has rotated 90 degrees to the left-hand side of the screen; despite fiddling for a while, I've been unable to get it back to the bottom of the screen where it's been for five years. I'm open for ideas (don't say reboot; tried that).

Posted by Linkmeister at March 30, 2003 03:38 PM
Comments

You should be able to click and drag it back down to the bottom. I haven't played with '95 in a few years, but if that doesn't work, post here and I'll dig it up ('98 wasn't that different in most ways, and I might have access to a machine with that on it at the office tomorrow).

Posted by: Scott at March 30, 2003 06:01 PM

I must not be clicking at the right spot, then; I can drag horizontally across the screen, but not vertically. It's a real drag (heh...)

Posted by: Linkmeister at March 30, 2003 07:10 PM

Hmmm. Very odd. I couldn't find an answer to that one.

Posted by: Scott at March 31, 2003 05:43 PM

hm. i was going to say what Scott said. very strange!

Posted by: deborah at March 31, 2003 06:16 PM

Hmm indeed. Off to the Microsoft Help site, I guess. Bleah.

Thanks for trying, folks.

Posted by: Linkmeister at March 31, 2003 07:49 PM

Ah, the best indicator of when spring really arrives -- Opening Day. And, my Rangers beat the defending World Champs, only to be stung like little girls the next game! Ouch!

I must admit, though, that I tuned out most of last season because of the labor schtuff. The grand ol' game's awfully close to losing its soul. That was the only thing keeping me a fan -- the soul of opening day, in bright sunshine with a cool breeze coming over the right field bleachers, Carly Simon's Take me out to the Ballpark coming over the loudspeakers. The crack of the bat, the satisfying smack of the ball in a fielder's glove. The smell of the place. The great expanse of green, even in mid-August when it's parched everywhere else.

Man, I love it, but it's all too much about the money lately, and my Rangers pretty much blow, too. Methinks I need a trip to the ballpark to restore my spirit. When are the Yankees coming?

Posted by: Skatemom at April 2, 2003 08:35 AM

Skatemom, your Rangers have one of my favorite ex-Dodgers as a pitching coach (Yay, Orel!), but he doesn't have much to work with. Until that changes, I'm afraid they are gonna be in a lot of 11-10 ballgames. :(

Posted by: Linkmeister at April 2, 2003 08:51 AM