Base and Superstructure

Thoughts on production, alienation, and ideology

Month: October 2019 (Page 1 of 2)

2019 World Series (and Postseason)

October 29, 2019 /

I started the 2019 baseball season warning against overreactions and other folderol. And then I managed to get caught up in it a bit myself: too many home runs, MLB juiced the ball to speed up the game, etc.

At the end of October, as it turns out, we’re concluding a very traditional baseball postseason. The teams with the two best starting rotations made the 2019 World Series. They’re trading wins on the road, as both teams struggle with relief pitching. And to top it off, they’re using some of starting pitchers in relief.

Go figure. As usual, baseball throws something unexpected at us. Well…I’m here for it. I’m hoping all this at least slows the growth of relief pitching for 2020. Not optimistic, but hoping. Maybe some teams start seeing the value of having a third or fourth starter who works deep into games.

Anything else stand out to you?

social democracy and taxes monopoly card

Social Democracy and Taxes

October 28, 2019 /

So, social democracy and taxes? I’m going to approach this topic from a couple of angles. First, I’ve made some efforts in the past to distinguish between progressivism, social democracy, and socialism. But I want to say more about this. I think these terms, albeit unsettled, pick out importantly different political philosophies. Taxation forms an entry-point to thinking about these differences.

Second, Elizabeth Warren recently worked her way into a bit of a jam. She’s struggling with how to pay for Medicare for All, a set of bills proposed by Pramila Jayapal and Bernie Sanders that would create a robust, comprehensive, world-class single-payer health insurance system. Warren worked her way into this jam, I’ll argue, because she’s a progressive who backed her way in to endorsing a social democratic idea. The news endlessly covers the entire kerfuffle, but I think the press sees this less as a philosophical problem than a policy problem. On the contrary, I think it’s primarily a philosophical problem opening up over the topic of taxes.

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yankees giant-killer

Can the Yankees Be a Giant-Killer?

October 16, 2019 /

In theory, no one can beat the Astros this season. Way back at the beginning of the season, the pundits said the Astros would steamroll the AL West and then the entire American League. Don’t believe the pundits? Prefer numbers and metrics? Well, they said the same thing. Note that to get the preseason predictions from 538, you have to scroll down to the bottom and select it. Experts said basically the same thing at the end of the season.

OK, the Astros already steamrolled the AL West, and now they’re working on the entire AL. Plus, they don’t have to worry about the Dodgers in the World Series, making them perhaps strong favorites. Sure, the Yankees beat the Twins again. But these aren’t my cousin‘s Astros, either. With an excellent rotation, lineup, and defense, the Astros are the most talented team in the postseason.

Let’s think a bit more now about whether the Yankees can do this.

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