How's It Going?

Welcome one and all, friends and neighbors, children of all ages to The Infield Fly Rule, my first tentative attempt at blogging. My name is Ron, and I'll be your waiter this evening.

The name of this blog has a pretty obvious connection to baseball, but that in no way means that the topics of discussion you'll find here will be limited to sports - although if you want to talk about the New York Mets, share your thoughts about old logos and uniforms from defunct leagues like the World Football League, or debate the merits of a recent trade (in any sport), I'm all ears, as it were.

A very brief profile of me: I'm a journalism professor in the communication program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. I've taught here for almost 10 years. Before that, I worked as a reporter and editor for both newspapers and trade publications, and as a public relations person for a cable television sports channel.

I hope to use this page as a kind of meeting place - for my students, and for anyone who feels like putting in their proverbial two cents about the topics of the day.

You will find syllabi for my courses, along with class project information, and links to essential journalism sites.

I eventually hope to turn this blog into a kind of news vehicle for my students, and for anyone else who would like to contribute. Stories from my classes will be posted here, for all (OK, some - at least for now) to see. Your comments and ideas, and even your criticisms, will be welcome.

But rather than continue the ranting, raving, and unending self-reflexivity that now passes for news in so many places, I hope that we can eventually carve out a new path - a truly fair, balanced, and objective path that depends not on the ability to scream the loudest, or to provide balance only by giving voice to the lunatic fringe, but on the careful evaluation of claims and arguments in pursuit of the best available version of truth.

Thanks for visiting, and make sure you stop by the gift shop on the way out.