Brad Zellar That was Jason Simontacchi, folks, right-handed, thirty-three year old definition of a journeyman. This is a guy who bounced in and out of the minor league systems of the Pirates, Royals, and Twins before finally getting a shot with the Cardinals from 2002-2004; a guy who blew out his shoulder and disappeared entirely from the … Read more
I’ve always loved west coast road trips and those late-night games that give a guy the chance to get home from work, maybe go to the gym for a couple hours, grab a bite to eat, and then sit down in front of the television to watch baseball as the clock drifts toward midnight. They … Read more
Riddle me this: Did that team that lost on Saturday and Sunday in Oakland look like a club that is 7-3 over its last ten games (counting the two weekend losses)? Hardly. It’s weird how quickly momentum can dissipate over the course of a major league season. Just as the piranhas are heating up (at … Read more
I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know what to say. I have absolutely no idea. I can’t even begin to imagine. I’m speechless. Seriously, words fail me. The cat’s got my tongue. I’m tongue-tied. There is nothing on the tip of my tongue. I can’t explain. I have no comment. I’m at … Read more
Wasn’t that swell? Isn’t it always a fine thing to see the local nine kick the living snot out of those shitheels from Chicago? And wasn’t it comforting to see Ramon Ortiz get his feet wet coming out of the bullpen, in a situation where there was absolutely no pressure? He did a nice job, … Read more
Ian McEwan is at a stage in his writing life where he could be coasting on his laurels or organizing his papers for the inevitable memoir(s). McEwan, though, is not that kind of writer—at least not yet. More than a dozen books into his career, he seems to be getting only better and more ambitious. … Read more
It’s been twenty-five years since a new collection of Woody Allen’s short humor appeared in print. You’re welcome to argue this point until you’re blue in the face, but he hasn’t made a truly great—or at least consistently funny—film in almost as long. It’s easy, then, to forget how truly fresh and funny Allen once … Read more
Hugely respected by his peers and routinely showered with accolades in the form of rave reviews and literary prizes, Ron Carlson remains a largely unknown writer to the sort of folks who pluck their reading choices out of the new arrivals pig pile at the local [sic] book behemoth. There’s no particular reason to expect … Read more
The character of a city is largely shaped by the extent to which it can nurture grand and modest dreams in equal proportion. Everybody, of course, has their own notion regarding what constitutes a grand or modest dream. But to be truly interesting places, a city’s neighborhoods need small businesses that manage to conflate both … Read more
Just a quick note on what felt like a very necessary win accomplished in absolutely necessary fashion, or something like that. After Friday night’s 13-inning affair –a game that featured another shitty performance from Ramon Ortiz and valiant comebacks that ultimately came up short– the Twins desperately needed to give their beleaguered bullpen (Pat Neshek … Read more