Derek Jeter

Jeter, who had been trying to come back from a broken ankle suffered in the playoffs last season, has been shut down for the rest of this season.

Much like the ACL tear that sidelined Mariano Rivera for much of last season, Jeter's injury throws the rest of his career in doubt. He no longer seems to have the durability that allowed him to break many Yankee records. Then again, he is thirty-nine.

Jeter, Rivera, and Andy Pettitte could have retired in 2009 and I'd be happy. I don't like seeing players play until injuries leave them permanently hobbled.

Keeping Genres Fresh and Relevant

I'm a longtime fan of Peter Rozovsky's blog, Detectives Beyond Borders. I met Peter at my first Bouchercon, 2008 in Baltimore, and know him to be a fine moderator. One of his panels at Bouchercon 2013 in Albany will be "Goodnight, My Angel", about readers' love affair with hardboiled and noir fiction.

I commented today on a re-post of Peter's from 2012, in which he asks, "How do your favorite crime writers keep well-established sub-genres fresh, relevant, and contemporary?"

The Cumulative Effects of Violent Entertainment

Earlier this week, I joined a discussion on Tyrus Books publisher Ben LeRoy's blog about the repercussions of crime fiction. Ben conscientiously asks:

Even if all of the violent media consumed doesn't cause copycat acts of violence, what does it do to the hardwire of our brain as far as our perception of those around us, most notably the strangers on the “other side” goes?

Also taking the discussion to Twitter, Ben asks to what extent violent entertainment perpetuates real violence and contributes to a cycle whereby writers depict violence, cynicism, and other negativity in their efforts to depict our world accurately.

I replied on Twitter that—though I enjoy some violent fiction, TV shows, and movies—a lot out there doesn't appeal to me. I choose not to immerse myself in violent entertainment even knowing it's not real.

I'm not saying, "It's not a problem for me, so it's not a problem." I just think we should equip future generations to be discerning consumers of entertainment as well.

FOX Sports 1

FOX debuted its latest sports channel Saturday, and so far I'm not wowed. It seems a blatant copy of ESPN with lesser known personalities and not as much cachet, yet it's already lampooning itself in on-network commercials.

Alex Rodriguez and the Biogenesis Scandal

Let me say upfront, as a lifelong Yankee fan and an admirer of Derek Jeter's character, I've always rooted against Alex Rodriguez. There was a time I believed he was naturally a great shortstop, but he was in Seattle, and for about as long as he's played, New York has had the solid-fielding, much more composed Jeter at shortstop.

When 2003 ALCS hero third baseman Aaron Boone went down with a boneheaded pickup basketball injury, I didn't see Alex and Derek on the same team. A-Rod wasn't a third baseman. He would have to voluntarily move to third for the chance at a championship. That was a lot to ask of a star who commanded MLB's richest contract, crippling the Texas Rangers. I didn't think he'd make the switch, but he did. From his months of yips at third, though, I can only assume he didn't come to terms with the switch for some time.

Then there were the rumblings that Derek didn't embrace Alex as a teammate. There was the speculation that if Derek only showed more approval, Alex would feel more comfortable and get back to being MLB's best all-around player. I thought, if Alex really was the best, he wouldn't need anyone's approval to play well. He would play well because that's who he was.

Then came his admission of buying and taking performance-enhancing drugs while with the Rangers. Because MLB had no penalties for the drugs at the time, he couldn't be punished retroactively. Even though I'd never warmed to Alex, I was disappointed to hear he had used.

Finally in 2009, Alex seemed comfortable with himself and came through when the Yankees needed him, helping them to a twenty-seventh championship. I still was no fan of his, but I respected him as someone who had come back from rock-bottom.

Little did I know he would be caught in another, potentially more damning drug scandal. That said, I think his 211-game suspension is unfair by MLB's current 50- and 100-game standards for PED violations. It does show how seriously MLB takes Alex's alleged actions, and if the players' union has genuinely come out against PED use, stiffer penalties will be written into the next collective bargaining agreement. I'd like to see full-season suspensions for first offenses, lifetime bans for second offenses.

Murray Wins Wimbledon

Beating Novak Djokovic in straight, if tightly contested sets, Andy Murray is the first male player from Great Britain to win tennis's most storied tournament since Fred Perry in 1936. What a way to end a fortnight that saw Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer eliminated early. I'm happy for Andy, and for his coach, Ivan Lendl, who was frustrated at Wimbledon in his playing days.

If I Wrote a Superman Movie...

As pleased as I am with Man of Steel, Superman brawling with bad guys has always seemed crude to me. This has long been his m.o. in comics and cartoons. In Warner Bros. Animation's 2001 Justice League cartoon, Superman was deliberately powered down so he would need his super friends' help.

My Clark Kent/Superman would have traveled the world, gaining insight into every culture and himself. He would be aware of how powerful he was, of how much damage he were capable of, and would be firmly against aggression. His instinct, like a Jedi's, would be to defend, not to attack. He would not punch, but would slip, block, and use submission holds. Not adding to villains' violence, he would not cause as much collateral damage.

He would be a rescuer and would use his power to nullify villains' power such that, when Superman arrived, they might simply give up.

I know. It would probably never sell. But I'll keep dreaming.

The Continuing Mission

William Thomas, a member of Spenser's Sneakers, posted today that he had read Ace Atkins' first Spenser continuation novel, ROBERT B. PARKER'S LULLABY. Though he enjoyed it, he thought Atkins fell short of imbuing the characters with the particular attitude Parker seemed to bring to his fiction and his life. William called it "sincere nonchalance". Others might call it amused disinterest.

I replied:

I often wonder how much of his attitude was a face he showed the world. I've heard he was the same person privately and publicly. But his son David's eulogy mentioned that he was like three men: the caricaturish "Ace", Robert B. Parker the author, and Bob the family man.

One way or another, Atkins will fall short of Parker. The only one who wouldn't fall short is Parker himself. Each of us is inimitably different, making it so special to get to know and befriend anyone. When that person is gone, he's gone. But Atkins knows this and doesn't psych himself out trying too hard to imitate Parker.

He's doing what John Gardner did with Ian Fleming's James Bond, bringing Spenser and friends somewhat up to date, picturing how their lives might have continued, because readers want great characters to live on. When I read a Travis McGee book, for example, I imagine what Travis would think of 2013. Part of me wants to believe he's still out there.

Sports Takes

• The Knicks claim their first Atlantic Division title since 1994 and clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. I was glad to see the Knicks vault from the turning point of the season. I don't think they'll beat Miami, but they are once again a respectable contender. Kudos, Mike Woodson.

• Kobe Bryant tears his ACL. I'm not a Kobe fan, but I wouldn't wish this injury on anyone. Most recently I followed Mariano Rivera's recovery from the ACL he tore while shagging flyballs, but explosive basketball players like Kobe and Dominique Wilkins don't regain their form. I think Kobe will have to adopt a new style of play, but as many aging athletes do, I'm sure he can.

• Rutgers' men's basketball scandalized. I signed up as practice and equipment manager for the volleyball team in high school largely because I'd befriended the coach, who many classmates saw as verbally gruff and demanding. I saw that it was an act to motivate his students. Mike Rice clearly crossed the line by physically abusing his students, and everyone who allowed it in any way should answer for that. As a fan of all the old Big East schools to some degree, I wish Rutgers luck rebuilding the program.

On Timeless Writing

Yesterday I commented on Patti Abbott's blog about how some writing seems dated while other, sometimes older writing seems fresh.

Love the Writing, Hate the Writer

I commented on Steve Weddle's weekly post at Do Some Damage.

The Nerdpocalypse on the Veronica Mars Kickstarter

I've been a fan of The Nerdpocalypse site and podcasts since they interviewed Middleman creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach last year. Host Jay blogged yesterday about the Veronica Mars Kickstarter, and I commented this morning.

Kickstarter

Creator Rob Thomas reached a funding goal of $2 million toward a Veronica Mars movie in one day. As a fan of the show, I was glad to see it happen, but I'm sure there are other hurdles in the way.

I've backed two Kickstarter projects so far: Seth Harwood's CrimeWAV Books and Michael A. Arnzen's Fridge of the Damned, which both reached their goals. I think Kickstarter is a good way to reach out to fans and make them feel a part of projects, but I have no plans to use it to fund my own.

My experience publishing and promoting The Lineup didn't show enough interest to warrant a campaign. If I take your money in advance, I'm obligated to you; whereas if I see something through to fruition on my own, I will have done it my way, and you can buy my product or not. Whether you buy, my product is already out there.

On the other hand, I might use Kickstarter to offer small rewards related to a base product. The goal might be lower because it wouldn't include the cost to make the product itself, and it would show how large a fan base I had.

Mariano Rivera

Today the most accomplished closer in Yankee history is expected to announce the 2013 MLB season will be his last. I've followed Mariano's whole career, drafting him as the closer on my only fantasy baseball team when he was setup man to John Wetteland.

Like most closers, Rivera didn't have the sustained stuff to be a starter. It's probably somewhat true he's gotten by all these years with one pitch, his cut fastball. But he has poise to rattle anyone else. Closers who are more than flashes in the pan usually bounce around to several teams, losing and regaining their mojo unpredictably. Mariano has been the foundation of the Yankees bullpen for eighteen years.

I've actually wanted him to retire for a few seasons now, not wanting to see his performance dip. He spent most of last season injured, which helped me prepare for today's announcement. It will still feel odd to realize he's truly retired. The Yankees may have to wait a few generations for another closer of his caliber.

You wanna know who the best is? That's him: Iceman. It's the way he flies, ice cold. No mistakes. He just wears you down. You get bored, frustrated, do something stupid, and he's got you.

International Please Don't Pirate My Books Day

Today, in other words, is the brainchild of novelist, screenwriter, and game designer Chuck Wendig. I'm participating because, like Chuck, I believe creative and clerical work has value. The books I publish will never be free, but ebooks do cost less to make than print books, and ereader vendors control how long ebooks are stored. I set my prices accordingly.

Perhaps pirates don't genuinely value what they take. If they did, they would pay for it. But everyone values something and would cry foul if that something were taken without compensation.

An artist's creation expresses his individuality on levels even he doesn't see. In that sense, it's more valuable than any price one could set. Please consider paying a fair price.

Chris Kyle R.I.P.

Former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle was reportedly killed point blank Saturday at a Texas gun range by a former Marine suffering from PTSD.

People can be killed anytime in myriad ways. Serving in the military means forging ahead despite this possibility. I'm not going to debate gun control here. Instead, I want to focus on how our Special Operations forces have received—and in some cases sought—more and more media exposure, going against a long tradition of secrecy.

I understand that secrecy breeds mistrust, and perhaps it's better in many cases for the public to know more, but I can't help thinking if fewer people knew who Kyle was and what he did, he might not have been targeted.

Remember, this is supposed to be fun.

Today on Murderati, Gar Anthony Haywood blogs about returning to his Aaron Gunner P.I. series despite the fact he could be writing something more lucrative. As a poet, I can relate.

In Short

I commented on a post about reading and writing short stories from Murderati's Stephen Jay Schwartz.

Have Discussion Groups Died?

I answer this fair question from Sharon Wildwind of Poe's Deadly Daughters.

Violent Fiction, The Discussion Continues

This morning, South African crime writer Margie Orford tweeted:

crime fiction: does it not just add to the sum total of gratuitous & casual violence of the world?

— Margie Orford (@MargieOrford) January 20, 2013

I saw Orford's tweet via Irish crime writer Declan Burke and wanted to expand on my reply here.

Reading fiction is gratuitous and casual in that it's a hobby. For writers, violence has a purpose, and the best writing doesn't exceed that purpose. A good story can be told with little or no violence, but depicting violence can also show how writers feel about it. That is, they don't create it so much as comment on its reality.