Mulliniks’ Moustache #1 - Why I Started a Blog

Welcome to Mulliniks’ Moustache #1, hopefully the first of many thought-provoking baseball-centric missives that countless readers will enjoy and think about for days on end. Stop laughing dammit. Let me have this.

So you, my gentle readers, may be asking yourself any number of things, such as:

1. Why am I reading another baseball blog?
2. Why am I reading ANY baseball blog?
3. Although it’s more likely that you’re asking, loudly and with great animosity “Why am I reading THIS blog?”

Regardless of your questions, the reason for this particular blog is quite simple: everyone else has one, so why not me? My creativity is somewhat* stunted at my place of employment, so I figured I’d give my grey matter a wee workout and in the process have some fun as well. I mean, I AM professional writer (to some degree) and I’ve always enjoyed wordsmithing, but I’ve rarely had the opportunity to write about what I fancy most: the sporadic whims of my brain.

More specifically in this instance, though, are the sporadic whims of my brain as they relate to baseball. Why baseball? Well, I couldn’t write a blog about me, could I? I’m far too dull to warrant a blog describing my various exploits. If my life was exciting enough to warrant a blog, shouldn’t I have my own reality show? Nine hours of me typing away on a computer sandwiched between public transit commutes, followed by me sitting on a couch in my basement until 11pm? That’s scintillating stuff right there. I’m expecting a call from A&E as we speak.

Anyways, I’m not a rich socialite traipsing around LA in the wee dawn hours, or a gossip hound with bad Photoshop skills. I’m not a witty mom with parenting advice, nor do I care to espouse the soul- and intelligence-sucking exploits of the most-recent Bachelor, Bachelorette, Honey Boo Boo or whatever Strange Addiction is on people’s minds this week. I’m just a simple man who likes baseball. I’m as deep as a puddle, so any “witty” musings about my life can be covered in 140 characters or less.

All joking aside, though, it’s really quite simple: I love baseball. Everything about it: watching it, reading about it, talking about it, looking at stats, and now, writing about it. It was actually during my college years (the second time around) that I was required to read WP Kinsella’s “Shoeless Joe” (the basis for the Kevin Costner flick “Field of Dreams”). As I read and read, my eyes were first opened and I came to realize much of what I now love about baseball – primarily the artistry and the sometimes hidden finer details. In uber-saccharine terms, it spoke to me. And it’s taken me over a decade to answer.

I can’t say I remember specific passages (except, of course, “If you build it, they will come”), and you won’t find me quoting it like I do some other books or movies. I wouldn’t even say that it was the best thing I‘ve ever read, but it might be the book that has had the single greatest affect on my life, due to this simple fact: if you ask anyone who knows me to describe me, chances are they’ll use the word “baseball” in their description. If not, they may not know me to well.

Some entries will be (too) long; some will be (too) short. Given that I live close to Toronto, my fair and maligned Blue Jays will be the driving force behind most of my ramblings. However, the Blue Jays are a baseball team, and you can’t have a baseball team without baseball in general, so I’ll probably meander all over the baseball map, and may even venture into the realm of other sports if there’s a correlation.

So, sit back, grab a cuppa joe or a beer and read away! I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Feel free to contact me via Twitter (@MullinksStache), email (mulliniksmoustache@gmail.com) or leave a comment in the section below. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. HA! Who am I kidding? This is the internet! Trolling, bad English skills and insults are the name of the game!

*Somewhat = completely