Blogging = Batting

After a bit of pondering, I've concluded that blogging is exactly like batting, only with less pine tar. I would have said less steroids, too, but the prodigious daily word count of some bloggers leads me to believe they are using undetectable performance-enhancing drugs.

Sitting down to write is the blog equivalent of stepping up to the plate. Like batters, every blogger has a different stance. Some bloggers like to write in cafes (an open stance), some prefer the privacy of their homes (a closed stance) and some can only write when dressed as a hot dog (akin to Craig Counsell's classic stance). Everyone starts with a different stance, but when it comes to that critical point of producing written thought, putting the bat on the ball, everyone finishes at the same place (even Counsell, as hard as that may be to believe).

Topics are like pitches. Just as batters have certain pitches and locations they prefer (high fastball, inside breaking ball), bloggers have certain topics they prefer because they know it works well with their style. Of course, bloggers are slightly luckier than batters because life usually doesn't throw nasty stuff like Carlos Zambrano and Johan Santana do (or Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens did, for those seeking more recognizable examples).

As with pitches, there are several ways to approach topics. Most bloggers try to be serious (try to pull it), others try to be humorous (take it to the opposite field), some try too hard (aim for the fences), some don't try hard not enough (shallow pop-ups) and some are satisfied to write a sentence and add a link (bunt it down the line).

Finally, like batters, bloggers experience streaks and slumps because good writing, like good hitting, is rooted in practice and good mechanics. What causes slumps? Batters usually attribute their lack of hits to timing, while bloggers usually attribute their poor writing to a lack of inspiration. (And by bloggers, I mean me.) In either case, the only real way to break out of a slump is to keep doing the very activity that is slumping until the timing or inspiration returns.

So, as you can see from this brief (and shoddy) comparison, blogging is exactly like batting (minus the helmet and chewing tobacco).