Tuesday Non-Baseball Update

by John Sickels on Jun 16, 2025 4:04 PM EDT Comment 7 comments

**I'm burned out on baseball draft coverage and in a bit of an intellectual stupor right now. I'll get back on the wagon tomorrow and have a Hit-And-Run for you with some minor league updates.

**Reading two non-baseball books right now, The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer, and The Essence of Rumi by John Baldock. Two extremely different works, to be sure. My ability to enjoy fiction has atrophied over the years...I haven't read any Mailer for 25 years, but a friend gave Castle to me and (halfway through) so far I think it is excellent, sort of The Screwtape Letters meets The Psychopathic God, Robert Waite's controversial psychobiography of Hitler. The Rumi book was recommended by another friend for the spiritual and poetic value and so far I'm enjoying it greatly as well.

**Music Interlude: Kinda-hot British chicks and weird guys with too much makeup.

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Non-baseball

Just got done watching “Into the Storm” on HBO about Winston Churchill. I know you’re a bit of a WWII guy and you read quite a bit. Any recommendations for books about him and/or the RAF/Battle of Britain.

by slurve on Jun 16, 2025 4:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Richard Overy's

“The Battle of Britain: Myth and Reality” is a classic and fairly brief. Deighton’s “Fighter” is another great work on the topic and it’s somewhat more comprehensive.

by OccamsRazor on Jun 16, 2025 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Human League is amazing

The indie pop dance club I go to started playing them last year and so Ive really gotten into them. Love the musical selection.

In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor on FK

by designatedforassignment on Jun 16, 2025 5:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I talked with you about Philosophy and Sabermetrics a while back

but a really good book on spirituality and poetry is the Philokalia. Sts Maximos the Confessor, Gregory of Nyssa and Pseudo-Dionysios are obviously very good, as well.

by Triple347 on Jun 16, 2025 9:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Argh!!!

I feel like I’ve been Rick Rolled. It’s going to take me days to get that damn song out of my head.

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

by WayneCampbell08 on Jun 16, 2025 10:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

While I'm quite sure I would have hated Norman Mailer if I spent a considerable amount of time with him

I can’t help but love his writing and his attitude (from a distance).

by thejd44 on Jun 17, 2025 2:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I wasn't that much into Human League

Nostalgia wise, I guess it is catchy. Living through it kinda rotted. And 20-somethings today are all like “’80s music is so great.” Well, yeah, if you are talking about Minutemen, Replacements, Elvis Costello, etc.

Then again, it is fun to hear Don’t You Want Me or Take on Me and go “yeah, I remember I was at some party, and this girl…”

by wobatus on Jun 17, 2025 8:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs