A Whole New Ballgame

Something special happened tonight: the San Francisco Giants won the World Series. In a mere five games, they defeated the heavily favored Texas Rangers, using a combination of dominant pitching, crafty veterans and a heaping dose of destiny. It was a great moment for baseball.

Wait, isn't this a music blog? Why am I writing about the World Series?

Well, as it turns out, I, Simon Irving, am also a baseball fanatic. Yes, despite my love for music so obscure it probably hasn't even been recorded yet, I'm also a passionate supporter of America's greatest pastime. During the months between April and September, I live and die with my team, the Seattle Mariners. And I listen to some pretty cool music all the while.

So, I've decided to expand Pretzel Logic. No longer will this be just another music blog. Instead, it will be just another personal interest blog, but one where I feel comfortable discussing anything on my mind. Music and baseball will be the dominant themes, but occasionally, other tidbits of information might sneak through.

For the time being, I have two major projects I want to undertake here: 1) I want to continue my analysis of the new classic albums of the 2000s, that I abandoned last June. 2) I'm going to show you how a humble Seattle Mariners fan thinks and processes during the baseball season. I'm starting now, at the very end of the 2010 season, because all thirty Major League teams are now equal. The offseason has started and the rumor mill is already starting to get in gear. I'll be following my M's through their offseason trades, signings and decisions, all the way up to, hopefully, their first postseason appearance since 2001. All the while, I'll be spicing things up with my personal analysis, commentary and opinions.

A quick word about my background as a baseball fan: while I do have a decent grasp of sabermetrics, this isn't going to be a stat-dominated baseball blog. The part of the experience I want to look at is that of the fan. Therefore, stats play an important part, but so do personal opinions of players, emotional moments from the history of the franchise and other things that make some baseball analysts slightly squirmy. If you want a stat-dominated approach to the M's, I recommend the excellent U.S.S. Mariner blog.

So, great changes are afoot here at Pretzel Logic. I'll still be talking about music, but baseball is another great interest in my life and I want a writing outlet for that passion. I want to record my feelings in the moment as I survive yet another season of the Mariners' greatest victories along with their lowest defeats. It's gonna be an exciting season for my M's. Hopefully, you'll be out there reading, sharing the experience with me.