The thing I like about dating is the different stories of
people. When I schedule a first date with someone, I get their whole, (mostly)
uninterrupted story, free of other people talking and chiming in, or
interruptions in online conversations where it’s impossible to get much done in
a short span of time. For that 2 hours or so, you have the other person’s full
attention, and they have yours. Everything they’ve done in the 20+ years of
life (sometimes 30) is discussed, and great stories and tales of yesteryear are
exchanged (I take pleasure in knowing I have a few stories in the repertoire
that can make people laugh/cringe/have some sort of emotional reaction, at least).
The date is usually not checking their Iphone, they seem genuinely interested,
and it is usually pretty good conversation. I’ve been surprised at how
divergent a lot of people’s stories are, even in the somewhat-narrow parameters
of the dating pool I select from (usually woman around my age who speak Chinese
and are interested enough to give me a chance to go to dinner with them). They
have different interests, some don’t like to exercise while some exercise every
day, some are doctors that are very established in life and some are just
finding themselves or still in school, some like that I’m a lawyer, some don’t,
some live with their parents, some haven’t seen their parents in years. These
are very interesting differences between people. Recently, through a
matchmaking service, I learned that “I haven’t learned what I want yet” in a
potential spouse, and that’s probably true: I have little experience in that
area. But part of the reason is possibly because I appreciate all the
differences in people, that I like to get eveyone’s stories. Or I just crave
attention and finally get to interact with someone instead of solitarily
sitting at the offense. Either way, I may not like the whole rejection part of
the process and the games-playing and the knowing-other-people-don’t-really-like-me
part, but for the times where I’m actually on the date, I really enjoy myself.
Fantasy baseball is……(wait for it)… similar to dating! Every
fantasy player on your team has a different story, are at different points of
their careers, produce different kinds of numbers, came from different areas of
the world. It’s interesting getting to know these players; I make a habit of
looking at each of my players’ Wikipedia page. The way I trade/ add and drop
players, that makes for a lot of reading. Reading about them, getting excited,
and then watching them pitch for your team is one of the greatest joys of
fantasy baseball. Here’s some notes.
For what seems like the nth time this season, my batters do
nothing. NOTHING on Monday. Lots of strikeouts, recent pickup JP Arencibia
(picked up only to exploit a matchup against lefty Drew Smyly AT HOME)
predictably goes 0-for-3 with 2 Ks.
Recently anointed closer Joaquin Benoit salvages the night
with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, save, and Daisy Fuentes- strikes out the side. I
used Benoit last year during the playoffs and have a soft spot for him; fellow
Padres Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross. Benoit, though, has an endearing way of
taking his time, rearing back, and firing….not in any rush but getting the job
done, kind of reminds me of the Old Man and the Sea.
Future me, it has been a joy to watch Max Scherzer pitch
this season……most of the time. He is actually a very predictable pitcher, which
is of additional value other than his inherent 20-W potential and high
strikeout upside. He struggles on the road and against good teams (@ Oakland, @
NYY earlier this season) but is great at home (in the cavernous confines of
Comerica Park) and especially during the day for some reason. I’ve seen like 4
or 5 starts this year during the work day where he just mowed down a
right-handed heavy lineup, and Thursday afternoon was no different- Scherzer
worked quickly and Scherzer threw strikes, culminating in 8 innings of 14-K
shutout baseball. He has a way also of dialing up his fastball from 91 or 92MPH
that he normally throws to 95MPH and 96 MPH when he really needs it, and he
watches video all the time to keep his elbow in the right position to avoid
Tommy John surgery. And his eyes are different colors, called heterochromia.
Nolan Arenado’s nickname is “Sharknado” for his whirling
throws from 3rd base. Awesome.
Lucas Duda’s nickname is “the Dude” after the Big Lebowski.
Pretty simple but pretty awesome.
Marlon Byrd and Torii Hunter both have long histories (they’re
both over 35) from not-very-affluent backgrounds and tales of spending years in
the minor leagues going check to check and then reinventing themselves several
times. They also from everything I see have great personalities, giving me
extra motivation to root for them, unlike say, Ryan Braun. Byrd in particular
has been a journeyman for various teams including the Nats, Phillies, Rangers,
Cubs, Red Sox, Mets……..his stories would be awesome to hear.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
No comments:
Post a Comment