Calm

On another note, this has been a truly bizarre and interesting series between the Cleveland Indians and the Red Sox. Both teams had strong seasons, surprising performances (Pedroia, Carmona), less than monster seasons from their stars (Ramirez, Haffner), reanimated playing for every-penny-of-their-contract performances (Lowell, Lofton) and finished tied for the best record in baseball with 96 wins each. As of today, the ALCS stands at 3-2, Cleveland, with the possible-elimination game to be played tonight at Fenway. 

It’s simply been great baseball.

So far the Sox have eaten up two of the best starters in the American League, but despite putting 70 men on base, they only plated 27 of them. Meanwhile, the Indians have had 62 baserunners, with 26 crossing the plate. Each team has hit 7 home runs. (Thus far the most valuable player for the Indians has been Eric Gange.)

Tonight, it will be the very experienced Curt Schilling going against the much younger and harder-throwing Carmona, in the lion’s den of Fenway. Neither did very well the last time out when they faced each other in game 2 of the series – and all bets are off for tonight. Will Schilling’s legendary preparation, coupled with his poor outing in Cleveland during Game 2, result in his finding the key to the Indian’s line-up? Will the relatively inexperienced Carmona be able to focus in and throw the kind of game that made him one of the better pitchers in the league this year?

And, fellow members of Red Sox Nation, is this the only day of the year that Mr. Scoplaw is railing against his pre-commitment of not having a television about to distract him from the various shit he needs must get done in, quite possibly, not enough time? I can tell you it probably is.

**

Court stuff has gone well enough, viewed through the “do no harm to thy clients” lens. We left a lovely little trial on the launch pad the other day. It started poorly (well, only moderately poorly, really, but those who know me understand that unless I’ve had a year to work on a case, I’m going to consider it under-developed) but we quickly gained ground. Information was obtained, caselaw fell into place, we created a good record re: pre-trial issues, and the lovely ladies of my division got things rolling. One performed the best voir dire I’ve seen in 3 years –honestly, it was simply brilliant. It was a glorious few hours of everything being in overdrive – wolfing down a bagel as I listened to a witness in the hallway, while another PD (not from my division – so super-thanks are owed) followed a new lead and ran off to do some research.  I walked back into the courtroom to relay some new information (some points of which were going into my opening). The ladies and the client were actually selecting the jury, and I really felt, at that moment, our trial elements/arguments were not only fully crystallizing, but had been extended, and that we were going to have a good fight with a hell of a lot to say in front of what was sure to be a good jury. However, it was at that moment, just as I came down the very short length of the gallery and stood next to the defense table, that the State stood up and announced a nolle pros.  I think this is actually on the record - I turned to the prosecutor and asked, “Are you kidding me?”

Turns out there was a valid, non-gamesmanship reason, but man – what to do with all that racehorse-in-the-gate energy?  

**

Also in work-news, we get training up the wazoo. If anyone knows what a wazoo is, I’d appreciate a note on the subject. Anyway, we’re too busy to make it to every training class we have, but every single one I’ve been to has really given me something to think about (structurally) and something to use (practically). I’m trying to think if I’ve ever had this kind of experience before in terms of getting solid, applicable parallel-to-the-job training. I don’t think I have. 

**

Also, JK Rowling recently announced that her character Dumbledore is gay. 

Sigh. Much of "the Harry Potter thing" seems not to happen in the books, but in the extra-textual knowledge of the global fandom that surrounds the books.  Which is interesting to me.  There's this cultural phenomena of Potter-dom which is quite powerful, however, if you look at the text itself in a vacuum, it's a moderately bland read.  (Not horrible or anything, just not the best writing out there.)

I used to bitch about this to poetry-students.  It's great to have a sophisticated dialog about what you're doing (or trying to do, or what you wish you had done), but, additionally and much more importantly, you have to put "it" in the poem itself.  Which is hard, yes.  But that's the challenge.  Anyway, Rowling gets about 25% of a Kudo for this one.  Had she the balls to actually put Dumbledore's sexuality in the book itself, you know, where that global readership could have actually read it, that would have been 8 Kudos or so, on the Scoplawic scale. 

Such a missed opportunity.  Still, I agree with Seth, insofar as something is better than nothing, and clearly, this is a very good something.

**

Lastly, ladies and gents, I’m heading toward slug-land. Not enough exercise through my errand rides has shown itself in general energy level, leg-shape, and via a relatively poor fast-as-I-can ride out to South Beach – hence I’m making a resolution to do something about it. Someday. Soon. 

 

 

Comments

[Scott Scheule]

It's great to have a sophisticated dialog about what you're doing (or trying to do, or what you wish you had done), but, additionally and much more importantly, you have to put "it" in the poem itself. Which is hard, yes. But that's the challenge... Had she the balls to actually put Dumbledore's sexuality in the book itself, you know, where that global readership could have actually read it, that would have been 8 Kudos or so, on the Scoplawic scale.

Both points are true. Rowling should be especially chided because she is now stressing how integral Dumbledore's sexuality is to the plot of the final book.

[Also insert witty rebuttal to stuff about privileged white males here.]

[Alisa]

My husband and I (both attorneys) call that "all worked up and nothing to argue" thing "Litigation interruptus". I swear it's its own kind of hangover.