THE OTHER FASCINATING NEW YORKER ARTICLE: America is to sports what Australia is to animals. Via SportsFilter. Meaning that America's sports are peculiar to America, not necessarily enjoyed by the rest of the world, with the possible exception of basketball. The writer, Adam Gopnik, also calls for a World Cup of baseball, which is a really great idea, and might save baseball's bacon--cause we know it's going in the hopper the way it's going now. Why doesn't anyone ever try to start a competing baseball league? Is it the union? The minor league system too committed to the existing major leagues? I don't get it, we went through the 70s and got an ABA, a WHL, a WFL, but got nothing to shake up baseball. Something baseball, in retrospect, probably needed.