This is the day that Shaughnessy has been waiting for..."Dice-K's" season opener. I clicked on this morning's link with an absolute sense of dread, wondering what cliche's Dan would trot out today. Of course, he got a few classics in ("Dominican Diva" and more references to Dice-K tinis and ice cream) , but by and large, it was a nice recap.
As we've hit on here in the past, we contend that Shaughnessy mails it in more often than not. His columns often lack meaningful analysis. Whenever he does provide some analysis, it is refreshing. I think he does an eloquent job today of discussing pitch counts, velocity, variety, and control and how Matzusaka weaved it all together yesterday to produce a great outing.
Shaughnessy also describes the hype surrounding the outing but he refrains from taking the tired "Only a Boston team/player could generate this level of hysteria" angle. That was refreshing.
The Dominican Diva reference (the seventh in recent years but who's counting?) is the one thing that stuck out as a gratuitous Shankism.
Perhaps this is the genius of the CHB? Set the bar so low in general such that when you write a column which has any substance, it comes across as particularly strong (when in fact, it's really just an average piece by any other standard).
The whole Daisuke Matsuzaka ice cream idea was an April Fool's joke that Dan will beat into the ground without realizing it was fake.
ReplyDeleteWhat was up with describing Dice-K as "moon-faced"? Seemed a rather strange way to describe him...
ReplyDeleteYou can't talk pitch counts and the like then demean those who recognized their value.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, when was the last time a sportswriter actually contributed to the public's baseball knowledge? It hasn't happened in the Globe since Gammons was a kid.
What was up with describing Dice-K as "moon-faced"?
ReplyDeleteIt is called subtle racism. Read Dan more and you will notice it everywhere.
//It is called subtle racism.//
ReplyDelete"subtle"? Ha. Dan's about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
And he said "Dominican Diva" again? Everybody drink!!!
dbvader:
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing racist about the expression "moon faced", subtle or otherwise. I's a perfectly legitimate descriptor for someone with a fat, round face, which Dice-K happens to have
Shank may be subtley racist like you suggest, but his use of the term "moonfaced" proves nothing
My problem with 'moonfaced' is Dan decided to use it to describe an Asian person, specifically Matsuzaka. It seems to me that it is a description reserved for non-Europeans.
ReplyDeleteIf you look back at Dan's writings about Matsuzaka, Dan has consistently portrayed cultural differences as particularly strange; the way in which Dan responds to the wording of Matsuzaka's statements or press releases is a great example.
'Moonfaced' struck me as another instance in which Dan struck upon Matsuzaka's difference for no reason. I don't think his attitude towards the pitcher is conscious or malicious, but it reveals an uneasiness with and lack of sensitivity towards a new foreign player.
Dan's complete fascination with Matsuzaka is further proof of how he regards the his presence as strange. He doesn't attempt to understand or explain the overwhelming coverage, he just marvels at it.
ReplyDelete