Jake Brooks

If journalistic activities were sporting events, then surely counterfactual storytelling would be tee-ball: a simulation of the real thing with all the difficulty taken out of it, suitable for hapless children. And counterfactual storytelling about sporting events, of course, only threatens to compound the embarrassment. It leads the way to lame esoterica best suited for lonesome late-night sports radio. (If the "tuck rule" play had been upheld as a fumble, would the Raiders have been a football dynasty? If Jeffrey Maier had had his hands chewed off by ants in his crib, would Mike Mussina have ever gone to the Yankees?) The results are hackwork, space filler, a way of hiding from the realities of the here and now.  read more »

It is hard to say which is worse: to dwell on one's own athletic conquests, basking in the wan glory of an inherently ephemeral success, or to dwell on having been conquered, brooding over events that can never be reversed. Yet we also see the appeal of an approach that combines honest self-criticism with taking the judicious measure of one's foe.

This morning, assistant managing editor and web editor Jake Brooks distributed a surprising email. (It follows after the jump.)

His email announced a stunning victory over the staff of Trader Monthly at last night's softball game in East River Park. This morning, the bullpen was abuzz.

"They were worthy competition," said politics reporter Jason Horowitz.

"Except for the girls," said intern Max Abelson. Hey now.

"There was one guy who basically slid the distance from first base to second base," said Mr. Horowitz.

Were any of the Trader Monthly fellows... well, hot?

"I'm no expert," said NYTV reporter Rebecca Dana. "There was one guy.... he was sort of bridge-and-tunnel-hot."

"They were really nice," said Mr. Brooks sternly.

"Except for the one," Ms. Dana said.

"Their two best players were on vacation," Mr. Brooks said.

And what about heat exhaustion incidents?

"I had one later that evening," Ms. Dana said. To wit: "I was exhausted and hot."

"Friendly!" said Mr. Horowitz. "Friendly bunch!"

"I hit a guy with a ball," said Michael Calderone, media and real estate reporter. Indeed he did. Right in the back. And: "There was a lot of glove sharing. And bat sharing."  read more »

"Athlete's hand!" said medical reporter Lizzy Ratner. "And fungus!"

The editor of the online Observer, Jake Brooks, a Miami Heat fan, doesn't agree with me about the meaninglessness of basketball's first three quarters:

I've heard this complaint voiced many times. I have even complained myself about the same thing. But there are players today--Lebron, Kobe, Dwyane--that make you want to watch the entire game just to see what they'll do. Also: there are things that happen in the first three quarters that give you a better idea how, why and where a game is going--ie no. of fouls, matchups. It's about narrative. Without the first three quarters, you may be entertained, but you'll have no sense of narrative, which is important if you care about the series as a whole and want to understand your team.

My answer is maybe he's more evolved than me, because for me it's not about narrative, it's about competition. I'd watch a cheese chasing race—apparently they have these—if it was close. I look for meaningful incident, not bravura performance per se. I suppose you can say the Yankees' five-run 11th inning that beat the Tigers last night shows baseball falls short, too. But the teams scored 17 runs, not 220 points, all told, and the early runs might well have won the game. The first 3/4 of points in basketball almost never do.

My typos and Ben's absence have angered the spirits who control The Politicker. Thankfully, Nicole and tech guru Jake Brooks have brought peace back to the site.

Unfortunately, there are still some hard feelings (or bugs in the system, whichever explanation you prefer). So for now comments and track backs are not available. Sorry.

You can always email or IM your thoughts. Thoughtful comments (like Harold Ickes observation) will be reposted.

--Azi Paybarah

Here's the newly redesigned Real Estate.

We think it's pretty. And for the first time on The Real Estate, you can tell us what you think, too.

One of the new features is a comments section. We haven't formed a policy about it yet--we'll see what you guys make of it first. But our brother site, The Politicker, has dealt a lot with comments issues and you can find some ideas of what may come there.

Keep watching this space to see us iron out embarrassing glitches and roll out more new features in the next week--category-driven archive searches; more external links; and other beautifulness.

I owe many drinks and many thanks to Randi Hazan, proprietress of the Gowanus-based design firm Multipod, who designed this site (and of all the Observer's new web designs); and to Will Rahilly, resident Web genius. They got this to look and act like the real thing. Soon enough we'll catch up with them and it will be.

And to the small and exquisitely formed Jake Brooks, the Observer's Web editor, for whipping this whole project into shape.

And to you all, for reading.

- Tom McGeveran

Showgirls : Still Sucks!In an attempt to recoup its reputation-and, perhaps, the estimated $25 milli  read more »