h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The importance of a right-handed Shortstop - A2118061
Author: LigLuryJr - U543062

Just a quick note about baseball. My first entry, but definitely not the first time I've written about baseball. Enjoy.
Thanks,
Lig.

Hi there Lig!
This looks to be a good entry, and with a little work, may make the edited guide. Before it can get in, though, it has to conform to the EditedGuide-Guidelines, which says (in part) that you shouldn't write in the 1st person .
But please, keep working on this, and take notice of any comments that appear here - good luck with your entry!

Bob McBob

Bob
Thanks for the compliment. I will start working on this to change it to a non-1st-person view. I did read that section of the "rules," but sort of chalked it up to being a less-interesting entry without my personal feelings. I've thought about it some, and I think I can still incorporate this, while going away from 1st person, and still being silly/funny/whatever.
As I plan to write a lot, I'm sure I will be conversing with you often.

Thanks again,
Lig.

Bob

Right. Just finished the edit on that. Let me know what you think
Thanks,
Lig.

It looks good and is quite funny, but others better suited to provide feedback should post as soon as they spot this entry (hopefully...)

"flip the bird"...? ?

When I saw the title, I wondered if 'The Importance of a left-handed first baseman' would be submitted soon to Peer Review.

This has the start of making an interesting entry. I think this might be a bit more universal if you could expand it a bit further to discuss batting as well (with due respect for switch hitters of course).

Handedness in Baseball is an interesting idea for a Guide Entry. And you've got lots of good material here (though I doubt that our UK-based readers would have a clue who Judge Landis was).

Keep at it and remember that half of your readers will have no idea about baseball.


- Jimi X

Jimi / Bob

Thank you so much for your ideas and whatnot. I'll sit down with this thing over the weekend and see what I can add/change. I did read a lot of the posts in the Baseball section of the Guide, so I wanted to make sure I didn't take too much from there, and wanted to make sure that I wrote something original. I'll make some changes and let you know when I'm done.
Thanks,
Lig
"Missing, presumed fed."

you write 'RIGHT-HANDED
A person who predominately uses their right hand with which to do things, i.e. throw a ball, use chopsticks, "flip the bird."'

One is not a right-handed, thus a right-handed is not a person. (It's like saying 'Hello, I'm the professor, I'm a red.') One cannot be an adjective

The Professor
Societas Eruditorum

Perhaps you can suggest another way of writing this?

I believe 'right-handed' is a compound adjective for the noun 'shortstop'.

It's used like 'a left-footed midfielder'...

That is precisely what I was thinking, which was why I was confused by your post. While I admit that it's not the cleanest english, I'm almost certain it's not "technically" incorrect. I could re-write it as "The importance of a Shorstop whom is right-handed." What do you think? Or perhaps a new title "All hail ambidextrous baseball players!" That would work for most players, but not the pitcher. Technically, the pitcher must pitch from one hand for an entire game. There was a guy from Stanford U who was allowed to do it in College, but they told him he couldn't do it in the minors or majors.

Thanks,
Lig
"Missing, presumed fed."

The title of the article is fine as "The Importance of a right-handed shortstop." I think what's being said is that the definition you gave in the article is written for a noun while the term is an adjective. Perhaps writing it like this would work:

'Right-handed: Having a predominant tendency to use one's right hand to do things, i.e. throw a ball, use chopsticks, "flip the bird."'

Also, you might clarify "flip the bird" for all the non-USA folks out there.

I liked this entry, btw. I thought the humor was well done! But there might be some more explanation of the people you refer to and some references made to the existing edited baseball entries (I'm sure there are some) to help the reader with positions and such.

Well, 'nuff said by me.

- JD

Yes, the definition is what I'm arguing against.

The Professor
Societas Eruditorum

Understood. I'll edit the definition to coincide. I went in that direction because I've noticed that a few entries I've read have that sort of humourous bent in the introduction/definition(s) portion of the entry.
I'm not sure if I'll give more explanation as to who the specific people in the entry actually are. After all, DNA wrote many entries that referred to people we non-brits don't know (and I'm not referring to Exentrica Gallumbits, the triple-breasted whore of eroticon 6). No, I'm just kidding. I'll learn the Guide ML and make some footnotes for those guys. Ditto for "flip the bird."
Again, thanks for all the suggestions, and comments. I'm glad that you appreciate my sense of humour, even though I wish I was funnier -- and, yes, I realize I'm not supposed to try too hard to be funny for the Guide.

Thanks,
Lig
"Missing, presumed fed."

"But there might be some more explanation of the people you refer to and some references made to the existing edited baseball entries (I'm sure there are some)"

Well, I've taken part in about 2 dozen in the last few months, so there are a few. Notably, A565779 - Baseball Basics.

I don't think we've got an entry on Mack and Landis yet, though.

Nice entry. It needs some tidying up, but the content is there. I'm more than happy to help you GuideML it. Just let me know.

All done. I've figured out GuideML, for the most part, and have finished the post. I put in 3 footnotes, 2 GuideLinks, and 2 ExternalLinks. I would appreciate any ideas on what links I can add. Can you all please have a look and let me know what you think.

Thanks so much for your help!

Lig.
"Missing, presumed fed."

I love your first footnote.

The Professor
Societas Eruditorum

Like the entry, even though I know very little about Baseball (American Rounders, yah? )

Anyways, couple of points before it's EG Worthy (but it's *so* close):

Under Shortstop -> "oriignally" should be "originally" (... shouldn't it? Actually, they both look wrong... hmm)

EG guidelines say you should use single quotations marks instead of double (bummer, isn't it?)

There's a misspelling of Shortstop in the first para and again in the second para of "The Facts"

No need for a comma after "bit" in the second para of "The Facts"

I think this line in the second para of "The Facts" -> "It is forbidden it because there's a very good reason other than a new and exciting form of discrimination that is sometimes called leftism (or perhaps rightism, depending on how one looks at it). The very good reason is that when one of these players has fielded a ball, they have to then throw it to Firstbase." would read easier if it were changed to -> "It is forbidden because there's a very good reasonOther than a new and exciting form of discrimination that is sometimes called leftism (or perhaps rightism, depending on how one looks at it) which is that when one of these players has fielded a ball, they have to then throw it to Firstbase." Or you could swap the footnote with a comma?

Like I said, I'm not to up on my baseball, what's a "Catcher" (is it the guy that stands behing the Batter?)and a "ground ball"?

Under "More Facts" the PTB like people to put words they want to emphasise into Italics, instead of capitals.

Another misspelling of "Shortstop" in the penulitimate para.

Hope this helps!

Oberon2001

I like this entry!

Although I don't know anything about baseball myself, the entry is well enough written to make interesting reading.

There are a few sentences in it that are very confused though. Perhaps you could print it out and read it aloud to yourself and see how it sounds. You'll spot the clumsy sentences fairly quickly.

Good work! A little bit of polishing and this should be ready to be picked.

Right. I've changed all the spelling mistakes (what was I thinking!?!), and reworked the funny sentences to sound better. Sometimes all you have to do is remove one or two words, change a comma, and that's all. I also included a link to a great Guide Entry for Baseball Basics to cover off anyone who doesn't know what a Catcher or Outfielder (or whatever) is.

Thanks to Gnomon, Jodan, The Prof, Oberon, JD, Jimi-X, and Bob for all their help. Let me know if you think I should change anything else.

Thanks,
Lig.