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The Village Voice, Jan. 5-11

"The Dis-Integration of Baseball" by Eliot Asinof

In this strange yet charming piece, the author talks about how baseball is no longer a national pastime and bemoans the corporatization of the sport as somehow un-American. Then he basically turns the mike over to a guy he met at a bar who argued that we should re-segregate the sport. "'I played in the Negro Leagues in the old days,' he said. 'Traveled all over, had to eat racist shit everywhere but on the ball fields. There was great teams. Lots of great ballplayers ... Then Jackie broke the color line ... And pretty soon there ain't no more Negro Leagues. TV and white clubs owned it all. Maybe it was good for the blacks in the big show, but it do no good for the 50 million in the ghettos. Blacks stopped playing the game, and then they stopped going to spectate, too.'"

Why this article works, I don't know. It's dreadfully unfocused and apropos of nothing. Yet it's refreshing to see a writer who thought he had his subject nailed shrug his shoulders and say, Hell, I don't know. Maybe this guy does. Do you?

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Long Island Village Voice, Jan. 5-11

"A Couple of Startling Facts" by Beth Greenfield

Beth Greenfield uses a current study being conducted on gay parents to talk about the sordid history of such studies. Anti-gay interests publish research that supports the claim that gay parents are bad parents, while gay proponents (including the lesbian researchers Greenfield profiles here) find evidence to defend their desire to raise families. Even this reporter has an agenda. Greenfield, who's gay, interposes reflections on her own desires to have children and positive anecdotes from gay families with her reporting.

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New Times L.A., Jan. 6-12

"Battling babe-hounds" by Tony Ortega

With endearing self-awareness, reporter Tony Ortega chronicles an ongoing battle between R. Don Steele, the author of "How to Date Young Women" and "How to Dump Your Wife," and Ross Jeffries, inventor of Speed Seduction, a method of getting women into bed using double entendres. Ortega follows the foibles of these ridiculous he-men wannabes from their Internet flame wars to an ongoing court battle. It's a wonderful example of truth that's stranger than fiction, and Ortega does an excellent job of capturing all the situation's wacky nuances.

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McSweeney's

"Accurate or Nearly Accurate Utterances ..." by Gregory Galloway

Quiz time! One of the best features of my local alternative weekly, the East Bay Express, is something called "Overheard." A reporter lists a movie, its showtime, location and two or three quotes from members of the audience. Gregory Galloway brightly turns this fun little riff into a matching quiz.

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New Times Broward/Palm Beach, Jan. 6-12

"Miracle Baby" by Julie Kay

This reporter has just discovered that sperm -- get this -- can be frozen, thawed, shot up a woman and wind up puking all over your good suit nine months later. Who knew?

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Postscript ...

Last month, I pointed to a City Pages article about a guy who, when he quit his corporate job, sent out a manifesto to his co-workers that rocked some people's worlds. Several readers wrote in asking to see the manifesto. The author himself has now contacted me with a link for your personal enjoyment and edification.

In October, I dismissed the marketing-driven rag Wine X as so much bottom-of-the-barrel swill. "Is there a smart, well-written, bullshit-free wine zine out there for wine-drinkers of modest means, but discerning tastes?" I asked. Robin Garr wrote to assure me there was -- his! Blatant self-promotion aside, Garr's Wine Lover's Page does seem to fit the bill. It's a straightforward, unpretentious read on the almighty vine -- with reviews, forums and other delightful features.

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