Well, I'm back to the blogging world, and all it took was the Mariners Blogosphere Simulated Baseball League. My fantasy baseball drafts are two months away, and the itch got too strong not to scratch.

First, allow me to (re)-introduce myself and explain the (new) name of the blog.

I'm Jeff Shaw, a freelance writer. Things I like: the Seattle Mariners, hiking in Bellingham (where I live) and in Okinawa (where my wife's family is from), politics, all types of writing, and lots of other stuff.

Things I don't like: what Bill Bavasi has done to the Seattle Mariners. I'm sure there are other things I don't like, but that'll have to come out over time. I mention Bavasi not just 'cause of another Jeff's site (which is good) nor 'cause of the horror Bavasi has wrought (which is not), but because you really should be a member of the M's blogosphere to join aforementioned baseball league. But that's not the only reason I'm back on the train.

See, I've tried to blog twice before -- once about political matters, once about high school and college debate (which I used to coach) -- but both got boring after a while. I've wanted to begin again ever since Bavasi was hired, and I needed an outlet to vent other than e-mailing my co-worker Debbie. I figured that I'd get lazy about blogging again if it were just another one-topic deal, though.

Hence, "San Shin." It's Japanese for "three strikes." It's appropriate since I'm studying the language at UBC (to better communicate with my extended family), I'll probably blog quite a bit on baseball, the M's have links to Japan -- and, of course, this'll be my third crack at this blogging thing.

What'll go here? A real chanpuru of stuff, whatever I'm interested in and reading at the time. I'll post my recent articles, thoughts on the Mariners, politics, poetry, and my trips to Okinawa (I'm going again in February).

More later. Thanks for reading.
posted by Jeff link 5:04 PM [edit]