Rabbit at Rest

John Updike, one of the greatest (and certainly most prolific) American writers of the past century, passed away today at age 76.  I first encountered Updike's writing in high school, critiquing (such as it was) Rabbit, Run and one of his short stories.  I can't go so far as to say that he was a life-changing writer, but I always appreciated his ability, like so many great writers, to transition between fiction and non-fiction writing.  One of my favorite non-fiction essays, and one of his best-known, is his essay on Ted Williams' last game at Fenway Park, Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu:

Like a feather caught in a vortex, Williams ran around the square of bases at the center of our beseeching screaming. He ran as he always ran out home runs - hurriedly, unsmiling, head down, as if our praise were a storm of rain to get out of. He didn't tip his cap. Though we thumped, wept, and chanted ''We want Ted'' for minutes after he hid in the dugout, he did not come back. Our noise for some seconds passed beyond excitement into a kind of immense open anguish, a wailing, a cry to be saved. But immortality is nontransferable. The papers said that the other players, and even the umpires on the field, begged him to come out and acknowledge us in some way, but he refused. Gods do not answer letters.

 He will be missed.

"Don't hit anything, and drive like you stole it."

My van certification would have come in handy for this.

(H/T The Plank)

In Which We Become Far Too Invested in the Athletic Exploits of 18-22 Year Olds (Myself Included) Con't

As an addendum: I realize that, at the extreme, I am advocating an incredibly tame style of fandom, one where there is only positive cheering, and never any criticism of any non-professional team.  I understand that's not likely--or maybe even desirable--but if people were to err on the side of deep breathing rather than loud screaming, they may find more enjoyment in the wins and less frustration in the losses.

In Which We Become Far Too Invested in the Athletic Exploits of 18-22 Year Olds (Myself Included)

3 straight Hoya losses have the faithful reeling, and with some justification: in the past two games, the team has been a half-step slow and 6 inches off the mark against West Virginia and Seton Hall.  It's a much different look from the team that shredded UConn on the road, or thumped Syracuse about 10 days ago, and for fans who have invested a lot of time, energy and (yes) money into their support of the team, it's unsettling.

That said, just as it's bizarre in victory to elevate college athletes to demigod status (H/T: The Plank), it's bizarre to pile on a group of college athletes in defeat (even unpleasant and unexpected ones to Seton Hall) as if their goal is to please us, The Excited Fan, and when they fail, we can express our disappointment however we please.  Obviously, no one is stopping fans from yelling out complaints from the stands or online, and we can bellow about bad shots or shoddy defense as loudly as we want.  But it strikes me as just the slightest bit odd that these 18 to 22 year olds are being held to a standard of excellence--and in college basketball and football--that is not expected of 18 to 22 year olds in college more broadly.  Lose 3 games in a row? I know people who have skipped class 3 weeks in a row.  In a shooting slump? I've been in writing slumps/testing slumps.  Groaning after missed free throws? Good thing nobody groaned when people couldn't answer questions in class (although in law school, it sometimes feels that way).  

It's a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg argument, to be sure: when college sports (particularly football and basketball) are marketed like their professional counterparts, when the coaches are paid comparably to their professional counterparts, and are played in arenas and stadiums as large, if not larger, than their professional counterparts, it's understandable that fans have reactions that resemble those at professional sporting events.  With the college sports-media industrial complex occupying such a prominent national status, it seems unlikely that the scale of the competition is going to decrease anytime soon.  Conversely, maybe we should be expecting a bit more of 18 to 22 year olds in college--certainly, when it comes to effort-based measures such as showing up to class and/or being prepared for class, the bar could be raised a bit.

Pointing out that college students loaf, coast, and generally "take plays off" doesn't make it any easier to watch our favorite teams lose heartbreakers or stinkers.  But maybe those who cheer on those college teams--particularly those who graduated from those schools-- could remember what it was like to be an undergraduate and ease up on their underage heroes.  After all, they are student athletes, and as such, not only are they busy with classes and growing up, but they're members of the alumni family.   We seem to cut a lot more slack for alums who help start unjustified wars than for those who hoist up unjustified 3s.  Just saying.

Quote of the Moment

I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear...

Honestly, it was all over but the shouting after that today.  A thunderclap in American history.

But check out the speech here.  Obama sets the bar pretty high, and a lot of the initial feedback--and my initial perception from listening to it live--was that it was a really good, but not excellent, speech.  Just a standard Obama speech: strong, bringing the heat.  After reading it, however, it registers just how appropriate his tone was for the troubles facing the nation.  Much like his acceptance speech in Grant Park, there's no sugarcoating our problems--indeed, during parts of the speech, I thought he was going to have to turn around and ask outgoing President Bush if he wanted to excuse himself for parts of it that were, shall we say, not kind in recounting the past 8 years.   It made the pivot to the more optimistic, value-stating portion a relief--not only to alleviate the potential awkwardness of skewering a former President sitting feet away from the podium, but also to lift the spirits of the crowds.  

In person, the relief of moving on to a renewed values statement for the nation outweighed the words themselves.  But I have a sneaking suspicion that the words themselves will echo through the years, much more so than the discomfort of being reminded about our present (and recent past) foibles.

We've been waiting for this hour/history is ours

Setting up a blog seemed like an ideal fit for me: with an appetite for politics, social justice, sports, music, Washington, DC, and pop culture--and an opinion on most of these things--a blog was, and is, an ideal vehicle to hone my writing (conciseness has not necessarily been one of my strong suits) and to share some thoughts on my interests outside of law school.

But today, after experiencing Inauguration Weekend, I am momentarily speechless. The historical significance sets in, every now and then, and this evening is one of those moments. I'll try to reflect and string together some complete sentences in the next few days, but for now, I'll leave you with some photos.

Above: a view from our spot on the Mall.

Midweek Musical Break