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It's not like I haven't tried to start up this blog again. I originally wrote the one that follows on March 31, 2012. It's been over two and a half years since I last blogged, and I left off after the first part of my series about listening. For now, I'm postponing it. I'd rather get a few things out of the way over my next few blogs. First: Available on Amazon Second: My film business, Purple Sky Productions is on Twitter @PurpleSkyProduc. I'm working on two films, now in preproduction. Now, for the meat of a blog: Actual content. Many people know that actress Alyssa Milano is a huge baseball fan. In fact, she has her own clothing line for women sports fans, called "Touch". She even wrote about her life as a fan in her 2009 book, Safe at Home. It's quite an enjoyable read, and I understood or agreed with almost everything she wrote. The exception was on pages 171 and 172 (hardback), which I repost here: If you've been a baseball fan for any amount of time, you've probably heard the same set of criticisms about the game from nonfans. The list usually includes some combination of the following: Baseball is boring. Nothing ever happens in baseball. (Note: This is not actually a different criticism from the aforementioned "Baseball is boring"; however, nonfans like to say each of these things as though they were two separate reasons, so I've included them like that here.) Innings last too long. There are not enough home runs. There's not enough scoring. I don't get it. What's so great about it? I like football. (I'm not really sure how this is a critcism, since science has demonstrated repeatedly that is it quite possible to like multiple sports.) I don't understand the rules; therefore, I don't like the game. (Note: This has to be the most irrational reason not to like anything.) Why would someone get so worked up about a game in which someone tries to hit a small leather ball with a whittled-down two-by-four. (Note: This is not an actual criticism of the game, but more like the rambling words of a sports-loathing lunatic.) On their faces, these criticisms are wrong, superficial, uncreative, and totally baseless . . . As a lifelong soccer fan (and player growing up) outside of a city that could easily be renamed Football Central, I understand everything said here. They are not baseless, and most are not superficial, though I agree they are wrong and uncreative. First, she included both "baseball is boring" and "I don't understand the rules; therefore, I don't like the game." These two are mutually inclusive. How can you enjoy something if you have no idea what's going on? It's difficult to enjoy the opera if you don't know Italian, and you'll never like "weird" foods (octopus, for example) until you try them. It's the same with sports. Even if you know the basic idea (hitting the ball with a stick to run around a diamond), you still have to know what an out is and how it's made. I love most sports, but there are many I didn't like until I watched them and learned the rules. Rugby, cricket, polo, and lacrosse all come to mind (though polo is the one game I don't like). Second, "nothing ever happens in baseball" is a reference to how long the wait is between action sequences. Each pitch lasts only a second, and most pitches are not hit, at least not into playable territory. And when it is, that only lasts a few seconds. It's this wait that people complain about. Third, "Innings last too long." This is a symptom of the boredom of the last paragraph. Fourth, "There's not enough home runs" and "There's not enough scoring." These are obviously related, but in recent years, the lesser quality of pitching has taken care of this problem. Nonetheless, it's anticipating the scoring that makes the game fun to watch. What good is it if you know the player will probably score? It's more exciting wondering if he'll get the chance to score. She's right on these. Fifth, "I don't get it. What's so great about it?" is not a complaint--it's an invitation to explain your love for the game to someone who might be looking for a reason to get into it. Sixth, "I like football." Trust me, many football fans don't care about any other sport. To them, football is sports. And if you don't have a SuperBowl ring, you're nothing. Kind of ironic, since less than four thousand people have ever earned one of those finger gems. Last, "Why would someone get so worked up about a game in which someone tries to hit a small leather ball with a whittled-down two-by-four?" They fail to miss one key fact: What they are dismissing as basically meaningless is the single hardest thing to do in sports. What they are complaining about has to be respected. Otherwise, I hate to say it, they have a point, based on what I said about "nothing ever happens in baseball" and "I don't understand the rules." This is a symptom of those two facts. Why do people think this way? It's a symptom of a bigger problem today: People aren't willing to take the time to give anything a chance. The real problem is impatience. This is exemplified in some of my analysis above. It's said that patience is a virtue. This is because we have to take the time to gain information so we can make an educated decision. The above list wasn't really superficial, but the cause of them is. Impatience: Causes us to miss vital information, Creates wrong conclusions, Leads to bad decisions, and Can really upset people. And I left it there, unfinished. One year later, I stand by everything I said in this blog. In fact I took my love of soccer to a whole new level as a first-year season ticket holder to the Houston Dynamo and opening a personal Twitter account in addition to @purpleskyproduc. So far, 90% of the tweets on the new account have been soccer related. A few went to Matt Hardy, and a bunch have focused on The Amazing Race. (By the way, if you want a really good Facebook fan page for Matt Hardy, go here.) As for the films, they're both still in preproduction, but one is about to be filmed at low-budget. Okay, more like no-budget. Next time, a surprise. That's because I have no clue what it will be about.

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