PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

This blog may indicate that I have too much time on my hands, which, in MY retirement, may be true. Still…..

1. Why do baseball managers wear baseball uniforms?

As I watched a couple games on July 4, I wondered about this again. Hockey coaches wear suits. Soccer coaches the same. Basketball coaches ditto.

So, why the uniforms for baseball managers? Do they expect to play? I suspect not.

2. Why do baseball players spit so much?

Again, this question came to me as I watched baseball games on the 4^th. There is no answer. Those in other sports do not spew saliva nearly as often as do baseball players.

3. Who thinks of all those names for cars, especially with all the letters?

MDX. TSX. SLK. CLS. GLK. ATS. GTI. MKC. BMW. The list is endless.

I suspect someone or some firm gets paid big bucks to come up with the names, even though they are just collections of letters. But, if you know the name of the individual or firm which has this task, please pass my name on because I am available to help.

As for the basic car names, beyond the letters, I suspect the companies work with marketing guys to find words that reflect the character or perceived character of the car they ultimately want to sell. The nomenclature of the big four in the 1960s and 1970s is a good example of this in its purest form. Mustang, Challenger, Charger, Thunderbird, Impala, and Corvette — all generate a sense of power and dynamism closely related to the image of the car…or at least the image manufacturers thought they were conveying.

4. Why do professional soccer players flop?

I am not an inveterate soccer watcher, but I have taken in a few games on TV during the World Cup? As I watched, I wondered – why are there so many actions that look like flops.

Or, when there is flop, why do the players writhe around on the ground to feign a major injury, then get up a few moments later and run pell-mell up and down the field.

Then I read this in the Washington Post:

“On soccer’s biggest stage, Brazil is taking steps to defend one of the game’s brightest stars from derision and criticism for his over-the-top reactions and predilection for diving to the turf at the slightest touch.

“For Neymar, the criticism reached a crescendo Tuesday after he rocked, rolled and writhed on the ground after Mexico’s Miguel Layun stepped on his ankle. It looked as if he might be seriously hurt this time but, nope, he was up, sprinting down the field shortly thereafter to set up the clinching goal in a 2-0 win. Neymar has, by several accounts, spent around 14 minutes on the ground during this World Cup, so his team and coach have sought to tamp down the criticism and mockery.”

And I add this contrast. In golf, players call penalties on themselves when they are warranted. I have never seen a golfer flop – or, perhaps a better word is “rarely.”

5. Why do golfers or TV golf commentators call metal clubs “woods?”

There is no reason. The clubs are made of metal. Why not just call them metals. Instead of the bulky and inaccurate “metal woods.”

Just wondering!