The Volokh Conspiracy

Recent Boss testimonial:

He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where “…nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.”

Celine Dion! Hilarious.

Baseball players make up 50 new words a day. For every baseball phrase that has entered the popular lexicon, there are probably 10,000 that died after that season or game. I always assumed Springsteen was referencing a word that the atheletes at his high school threw around, but has since died out.

Yeah, but I don't like him, so I'd rather assume he's a plant from some Communist country (but not Cuba, one where they don't play baseball), probably China.

To address your argument on the merits, it's definately possible. If he'd called a curveball a yakker, Mr. Snappy, ol' number two, a hook, a bender, I'd agree. I've never personally heard a fastball called a speedball, and the fact that fast = speed (more or less) makes me think it's more likely a mistake than a collolquialism.

I'll make this analogy. If someone calls an umpire a "ref," he's more than likely clueless. If he calls the ump "blue," he's probably using the term his buddies back in high school used.

Thought it was good.

Anybody that thinks Springsteen is a common man, should drive past his NJ home or his NJ farm. Very elite company in those neighborhoods.

Bruce supported Jimmy Carter. The result was illusions masquerading as reality.

The Bruce is a great lyricist and romanticist, for example he has much applauded Pete Seeger who in turn romanticized and gave approbation to none other than Uncle Joe Stalin. Likewise, the 20th century renders testimony to a romanticized view of politics and politicians. Given the hecatombs of that century, much of that testimony is mute. Those are cautionary tales, not precise parallels, but they are cautionary tales of a romanticized feel-goodism that advances illusions in lieu of sober minded realities. Pleasant, from a sensate pov, yes.

The guy is from NJ for goodness sakes. He may be what the Democrats consider a common or little man. Meaning UNION liberal semi-socialist leaning. That is not what the common man is in fly-over land. Totally different species. Yuck.

I do not consider his yapping ROCK. Now, we may not have a sense of humor. But then we must if we like Country Music. Plus. I am not necesarily a Conservative. I am definately not a liberal, socialist or communist or anything of that political ideology. I define myself by what I am not. What that leaves is something of an unkown name. Maybe just DAMN Americian defines me.