The SportsThink Weekly Review #31
January 22, 2021
Hello and welcome to the thirty-first edition of the Weekly Review! We’ve got a new section this week, highlighting some more topical stories.
—
Just saw the news that Hank Aaron has passed, RIP to the legend, and—to me—still the all time home run king. I was born too late to see him play, but I must have read his autobiography, I Had a Hammer, at least 3 times through in elementary school. It was a used copy passed down from another legend—albeit more personal—the late Joe Tremblay, a wonderfully loving and foul-mouthed old-timer who worked for my folks. Joe passed before he could see his beloved Red Sox break the World Series curse, but not before he helped cement my twin loves of sports and history. Respect to all.
And here’s Vin Scully with the call on #715:
Inside the Lines: My Favorite Sports Reads of the Week
The Game Inside the Game, by Emma Healey, via Hazlitt. The title might suggest that this is about the mental or inner game of sports, but this is way more fun. A poet dives deep on the magic of halftime shows. If you’re wondering if Red Panda makes an appearance, rest assured, she’s there! Really great piece. From February 2020.
From 'A League of Their Own' to Building a Museum of Their Own, by Emma Baccellieri, via SI. On the long road to honoring the past and empowering the future of women and girls in baseball.
Why Do We Hate Tom Brady? Why Do We Love Tom Brady?, by Michael Weinreb, via his Throwbacks newsletter. Worthy attempts to address both questions, a good and timely take as the ageless wonder heads into yet another conference championship weekend.
It’s the 45th Anniversary of the Flyers’ Victory Over the Red Army in 1976, by Mike Dusak, via Broad Street Hockey. Fun bit of history of here, when the global bullies ran into the Broad Street Bullies. Short and sweet, with a great vintage video.
High School Football, a Pandemic, and the Pain of the Past: A Story of Survival in Small Town America, by Brian Burnsed, via SI. Heavy, but really well done. I’ll defer to the tagline on this one: For Black teenagers in a region shaped by centuries of suffering, high school football can be both escapism and an escape route. This is what happened when the coronavirus came to southwest Georgia, endangering players’ families and challenging their dreams. From November 2020.
Keeping Up With the Sports Page
A new section this week. Not necessarily great reads, but noteworthy goings-on.
On Jared Porter and MLB’s gender problems
Would FIFA really ban some of the best players in the world from the World Cup?
The Olympics cancellation rumor mill is churning
Tweet of the Week
Progress.
Non-Sports Reads
A Journey Into The Mind of Watts, by Thomas Pynchon, via the NYT. As an LA guy, history guy, and Pynchon fanboy, I can’t believe I’d never seen this before. Thank you, internet. The legendary author and recluse on the Watts riots. From June 1966.
Inexhaustible Precision, by Karl Ove Knausgaard, via the Point. The prolific Norwegian on art and the aesthetic experience. Long and occasionally navel-gazing (as is all of his stuff), but a smart and interesting take from his new book of essays.
As always, thank you for reading. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re having trouble accessing any articles, happy to send them directly your way. And, if you’re enjoying the newsletter, please consider sharing it with someone else who might like it.
See you next week,
Tolga