Sportsman

Didn’t think that my best, or at least most frequent, public writing output would be tied to minor league sports writing (that is, writing about minor league sports, not minor-league writing about sports, if you catch my drift). But so far in 2010, that is the case.

I’m part of a loose affiliation of sports fans and technology geeks and writers of various daytime occupations who contribute to the Portland Sportsman, a local online concern. The purpose of the Sportsman, insofar as I like to view my participation, is to observe sports not for their outcomes but for the interesting stories that grow up around and within those sports themselves, and for that purpose minor league sports have turned out to be more interesting than their major league counterparts. For example, we write about what in the world could possess a Triple-A baseball player to continue the fight into his late twenties/early thirties, especially when it’s a prospect’s game down there. These guys (amazing athletes though they may be) pull town a measly wage, travel by bus, share rooms, and play in front of depressingly sparse crowds. But I digress; you can read about that in a few articles over there.

Anyhow, it’s writing with deadlines, which I love; it’s writing for something I care about; and it means more words on the (digital) page, which helps no matter what the subject. Go ahead and check out some of the writers over there if you’re interested in minor league soccer, baseball, rollerderby, pinball, and so on.