Saturday, July 27, 2002

Baseball:America::Football (Soccer):England? I don't know if anyone has read David Winner's Brilliant Orange, but I would recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in football (or soccer, as we know it). It's about an Englishman's fascination with Dutch football (the "beautiful game") and its connection to Dutch culture. Having read it made me feel much more informed as I watched the World Cup this summer. Another Englishman, Tim Parks, has written another book, A Season with Verona, about football as a window into a foreign culture (Italy this time). The linked review sees it as another entry in what it calls the "Brits abroad" genre, but it seems to me like another example in the "football as culture" genre. Does football serve English writers (as baseball seems to serve American writers) as not just a sport, but also as a jumping off point for all manner of philosophizing about society? 7:35:02 PM     What do you think? ()

Why Won't Safire Blog? I'm sure that many Webloggers have pointed out (or will soon point out) William Safire's column in tomorrow's New York Times Magazine. In it, trying to be helpful I'm sure, he writes: To set one up (which I have not done because I don't want anyone to know what I think), you log on to a free service like blogger.com or xanga.com, fill out a form and let it create a Web site for you. Isn't columnist a strange occupational choice for someone who doesn't want anyone to know what he thinks? 3:07:45 PM     What do you think? ()

Does Steve Case Have to Go? An article in today's New York Times examines Steve Case's shrinking credibility as AOL's merger with Time Warner has proved to be a disaster and as virtually all of AOL's representatives among AOL Time Warner senior management have either stepped down or been removed. The article says the following: Executives who worked with Mr. Case at AOL said he did not deserve blame for the falling stock and that he never misled investors or executives of Time Warner. They said he no better anticipated AOL's future problems than anyone else. What kind of craven nonsense is that? Shouldn't he, as AOL's CEO, have been in a much better position than anyone else to anticipate AOL's future problems? Is being stupid the defense against every accusation now? 10:14:12 AM     What do you think? ()

© Copyright 2003 Morgan N. Sandquist. Last update: 11/2/03; 10:25:06 AM.

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