Out of the park.

For various reasons, I have just submitted one of the worst essays I have written for a long time.

I've decided to partly blame baseball.

I gave myself plenty of time to work on this assignment - including three "study days" at home a full week before it was due.

Then I spent those three days feeling sick as a dog and watching baseball for most of the mornings.

I watch baseball, now.  I've been doing it for, oh, about a week.  Not every game, obviously, just the ones I happen to be home for.

It's good, because I'd half decided to have the Pittsburg Pirates as my "nominal team" (because of the name, obviously), but now that I've watched them play twice it seems less contrived.

Also, it's a bit odd, but watching baseball matches while feeling weak and slightly delirious makes it really easy to get hooked on the sport.  I'm now feeling a bit like I'm going through baseball withdrawal.

I'm not sure how coherent my essay was, but I think I successfully managed to avoid using phrases like "bottom of the ninth", so I guess I'll have to just be happy with that.