Dispatches from Arm's Length, Part 20

I had a feeling. Even though the pandemic is under control, the latest variants are concerning. People that have successfully avoided COVID cases for two years are showing off their positive tests. COVID deaths have tapered off dramatically, but we're still inching toward one million US fatalities. 

While I've been a little more lax about wearing a mask in public, I'm still wearing one more often than not. When the mask mandate has lifted (or "adjusted") about a third of students and teachers in my schools kept theirs on. Now I'd say it's less than one quarter. I might remove mine if I'm at least six feet away from any student. It's Spring, I have seasonal allergies, but every time I get a little nasal drip or eat something bland, I get a little anxious. For the immunocompromised and other parts of the population, COVID is still a landmine. For that, the mask stays on.

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30 Teams, 30 Haiku: My 2022 MLB Preview

 

The lockout is over, some fans are jaded, but I remain undeterred: 

*notes wild card

NL EAST

1. Braves. Outstanding bullpen/bolstered by Jansen; can they/win with Acuna?

2. Mets. Are they stockpiling/or just burning money? Not/a believer yet.

3. Phillies. Everyone in the/batting order could DH/too bad they can’t field.

4. Nationals. A healthy Strasburg/could boost new-look squad; Soto/show isn’t enough.

5. Marlins. “Finish the rebuild!”/Jeter cries from afar; too/bad these fish swim slow.

NL CENTRAL

1. Brewers. Stud rotation won’t/throw cheese; Renfroe might hunt for/good power numbers.

2. Cardinals*. Yadi, Waino, and/Pujols– did I wake up in/2006? (Old.)

3. Cubs. Wisdom and Schwindel/will make them watchable; new/lovable losers.

4. Reds. Queen City rebuild/young bats surround Votto, but/injuries might mount.

5. Pirates. Despite "tank for Hank"/these Bucs still suck; title drought/enters middle age.

NL WEST

1. Dodgers. Big Blue, deep pockets/too bad Crypto won't buy you/good middle relief.

2. Giants*. Posey grew so Bart/could flower; injuries will/expose lack of depth.

3. Padres*. Melvin diffuses/clubhouse drama; they just need/one more outfielder. 

4. Rockies. Kris Bryant, tentpole/for an otherwise bad team/Bud Black, sitting duck?

5. D-Backs. The Marte deal would/suggest no rebuild, but where/are the Snakes going?

AL EAST

1. Yankees. Unvaxxed in pinstripes/they're a contender again?/Believe the science. 

2. Rays*. Wander-ing to a/wild card; quietly, some/well-rounded SPs.

3. Blue Jays. Upside up north; fun/team surpassed by big spenders/and deeper benches.

4. Red Sox. Looking at pitching/alone, can they ask Pedro/to unretire?

5. Orioles. Mullins and Means are/swarmed by prospects; think playoffs/around ‘26.

AL CENTRAL

1. White Sox. Enough talent for/another first round exit/a Grave(man) concern.

2. Twins. Exiled Yanks and/Correa balance out bats/that swing for power. 

3. Royals. Whit and Witt, those boys/can hit; grumpy Greinke, old/man leads young pitching.

4. Guardians. New name, weaker team/time to trade their third baseman?/”Uh… no way, Jose!”

5. Tigers. Handsome Javy, the/joy of six; Miggy hands him/superstar baton.

AL WEST

1. Astros. Welcome back, JV/lack of shortstop overcome/by talent surplus.

2. Mariners*. Ty France, si vous plais/playoffs, no ring but fans cry/”He went to Jarred!”

3. Angels*. Thor shipped his hammer/to Buena Park; Ohtani/gets his playoff nudge.

4. Rangers. Unproven pitching/hinders outfield surplus and/Seager’s arrival. 

5. A’s. Walmart wonders, yet/again; Cristian Pache must/sashay the offense. 

AL MVP: Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox

NL MVP: Juan Soto, Nationals 

AL Cy Young: Shane Bieber, Guardians

NL Cy Young: Corbin Burnes, Brewers

AL Rookie of the Year: Bobby Witt Jr, Royals

NL Rookie of the Year: CJ Abrams, Padres

First Manager Fired: Brandon Hyde, Orioles

2022 World Series: Dodgers over Yankees in 6

Looking East

 Why yes, I do have an opinion about Ukraine!

Right now, we're witnessing the closest we'll come to in our lifetimes to World War III. Vladimir Putin was a despot all along. However, he compares as much to the oligarchs that started the first war as the German individual that started the second one. The invasion is a political and economic power grab for a sovereign land that Russians apparently love to oppress. Ukraine is "the world's breadbasket" for a reason.

My only question is, will sanctions be enough to quash the threat or will other countries have to put boots on the ground? The invasion hasn't gone quite according to Putin's plan, and the resiliency of the Ukrainian people has been inspiring, but the stalemate is not going to last. 

Next week: my 2022 baseball preview.

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Dispatches from Arm's Length, Part 19

I assumed a while ago that mask mandates would be lifted on a gradual basis. For a certain part of the population, this is akin to liberation, a minor inconvenience interpreted as oppression. COVID cases are indeed tapering off after a volatile December and January, and as a result the mandates are beginning to waver. In my school districts, there were PTA and village council meetings where the hostility veered into the absurd, with anti-maskers coming out in full, buffoonish force. Some of the districts relented; masks have gone from mandatory to "highly encouraged." 

I subbed at Hinsdale Central High School on Monday, February 20th, the day their mandate was adjusted. I noticed about 70% of the faculty kept their masks on, but maybe 40% of the students the same. When I subbed again on Friday the 24th, the teachers were holding firm but about 25% of the student body had their noses and mouths covered. The mask mandate, as well as proof of vaccination in Chicago proper will be dropped Monday the 28th. 

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I don't think we're ready yet. For almost two years now, we've seen every optimistic prediction come and go, variants rise and fall, and fight between precaution and denial. I am concerned that another variant is around the corner. Even if Omicron wasn't as life-threatening as its predecessor strains, and respiratory viruses often mutate and become less virulent and less of a serious health issue... it only feels safe now. Of course, the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers are acting like they won the war. For them, I wish they would think about someone besides themselves. Somehow, serious illness won't get the point across. 

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That's Entertainment

 In the early days of the pandemic, I dreamed up a series of essays called Reading Periodically. Based on some past blog posts, plus new material, it would focus on my appreciation for magazines. Progress has been slow, but it's allowed me to broaden the scope to include my late father's shared love for magazines, as well as lament the death of print journalism.

I mention this as the news broke yesterday that Entertainment Weekly (among other periodicals) will cease publishing a print edition in late March. The April 2022 issue will mark the end of just over 32 years of covering movies, TV, music, literature and occasionally video games and Broadway. It cut a niche as the gap between vapid celebrity rags like People or US Weekly and trade mags like Variety as a source of entertainment news and editorials. 

I first discovered EW in early 1997. My grandmother fell for one of those Publisher's Clearinghouse-type scams, and suddenly had a plethora of magazine subscriptions. One of those was EW; I was instantly hooked by the listicles, witty commentary, and paragraph-length reviews. She realized it wasn't for cup of tea, so I ended up taking home her issues until the one-year subscription lapsed the following winter. After that, I bought issues at the newsstand or at Blockbuster Video until I couldn't afford the $2.99 a week. (Bear in mind, I was 13.)

After reading EW on and off at my local library for a few months, my father stumbled into a subscription in Spring 1999. The first issue had a cover story on Star Wars Episode I, the second had a list of the 100 most important moments in pop music 1950 to 1999. My father was as unfazed as his mother-in-law, and EW permanently joined my cache of regular must-reads. I don't think I ever tossed out a single issue; my whole collection is in storage.

Compared to other magazines that once had circulation in the high seven figures, EW was the baby of the family. It was launched in Winter 1990, decades after rivals like Time and Reader's Digest. Following in the tradition of e.e. cummings and bell hooks, entertainment Weekly was lower-case and diagonal until 1992. It was an early beneficiary of the "infotainment" movement of the era, offering stimulating and colorful images along shorter articles on a vast array of pop culture topics. Most crucial of all, it was the first mainstream magazine to address how AIDS/HIV affected Hollywood, and always kept an ear for LGBTQ+ culture. 

Print journalism isn't quite dead yet, but it's cornered. EW only faded out of relevance when everything else in print did. Time magazine is now bi-weekly, Sports Illustrated quietly became a monthly in early 2020, and other "heritage" weeklies ranging from People to The New Yorker will someday follow suit. I fear it's just a matter of time before they all go all online as well. EW, that subtly progressive stalwart, will be missed.

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Dispatches from Arm's Length, Part 18

 If 2020 was a upper right hook, then 2021 was a lower left cross. My optimism for 2022 is more guarded than ever before; things are not going to turn around immediately. The dread is vague yet palpable. 

I remain inconsistent about blogging if only because I'm still busy. I've barely commented on the Omicron variant, which eclipsed Delta in late November or early December. While not as brutal as Delta, it has noticeable symptoms and is far more contagious. I received my booster in mid-December, and even though I've been exposed on two occasions (mercifully, during winter break) I've tested negative twice since Christmas. The variant is subsiding somewhat, but I fear that it's a matter of time, though. 

It's astounding that this has now dragged on almost two years. We truly are a divided society, and a stubborn one at that. It opens up the possibility of an endless cycle of new variants and additional boosters, mostly because of misinformation and a distrust of science. The cracks are showing, and there's little any of us can do about it.

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