Buffs Win: Well, as I always say "a win is a win." It certainly wasn't pretty on Saturday, but I'll take 1-0 however we can get it. I've seen some great breakdowns of the game, but I'm just not one for the scientific breakdown of football; I just want a Buffs victory. I'll save my "scientific" interest in sports for Basketball and Baseball, thank you very much. However, it was great to see a few things Saturday: Travon Patterson getting into the action early, Aric Goodman having a perfect day, and Scotty (DO!) setting the all-time receptions mark on a beautiful TD catch.
(Do the dance Scotty! - From: The BDC)
And don't forget that the much-ballyhooed "CU Sucks" banner that some CSU grads were going to have flown around the stadium ended up being flown around upside-down. My guess: either the pilot was a CU grad, or it was a CU plant all along. But it sure made for an easy laugh Saturday.
(Ah the sweet smell of a victory cigar!)
Honestly, I was just glad I was able to find some shade in the nether-regions of the 5th level.
Stupid Traditions: So every year a friend and I "sneak" into FoCo, buy a CSU flag at their bookstore, eat Mexican food at "el Burrito," make terrible jokes at how terrible the place is, and return home. Then, the day of the game, we burn the flag to show our contempt for CSU in general. It's a stupid tradition, but I figured I might as well include a video of the flag burning for educational purposes.
(burn baby burn)
Attendance Issues: 61,000 my ass. You know whats funny about that attendance figure? Even though they pulled that number out of their ass, that's the lowest attendance figure in the history of the game being played in Denver. Woof.
I took a video during the marching band's pregame of all the empty seats, but I figured that was an unfair indicator of true attendance. So I took this video midway through the 1st quarter...
(I know for damn sure that everyone there could fit in Folsom.)
Again, the novelty of this game in Denver has worn off. When you need 3 title sponsors to make a game financially viable, it's not really financially viable. It sure didn't help that the network with broadcast rights is seen by exactly no one so that there was no in-network promotion during the lead-up.
Parker Orms: It was tough to see Parker go down with a torn ACL. I was really excited to see the local kid play. He won the starting Nickel-back job only to go off early in the 1st quarter on a non-contact play. He'll probably get a medical redshirt and still have 4 more years in Boulder, but still, you never want to see a young man have to go through injuries of this type.
White Sox Sweep in Boston: Well, when they needed it, my Sox came through. 3 tough, well earned victories were a result of the trip to Beantown. Take Sunday for example: we score two runs on an infield single and throwing error to take the lead, only to lose it the next inning. Normally the Sox would lie down at this point, but extreme plate discipline lead to back to back run scoring walks to seal the victory in the 9th. It wasn't necessarily a pretty series from a baseball standpoint, but anytime you can walk out of Fenway with 3-straight wins is a good sign. If only Texas would've helped us out with the Twins...
(That's good victory, boys! From: the trib))
Baseball is not wholly conservative or liberal: Some idiot talks about baseball being a wholly conservative sport. He reasons that baseball doesn't change, is merit based, and inherently American (as if that makes it conservative). Now, I never want to get political in this blog, but this George Will-esque drivel needs to stop. I apologize in advance.
First off, baseball changes all the time. (Hell, the game was originally played to 21 "aces" and you could call your own strike zone) Advances in race relations (integration and immigration included), the evolution of the DH, advancements in technology (bats, PED's, stadiums, training techniques), and the evolution of the modern sporting financial structure have all come out of baseball. That's a lot of changing. Hell, even the rules have changed over the years. We're going to soon be seeing instant replay on fair/foul calls.
Further, one of the strongest workers unions in America is in baseball. Hell, Marvin Miller and the Players Union basically re-wrote labor relation laws in the 1960's and 70's. Free Agency? Player Pensions? No-trade Clauses? Labor disputes and strikes (along with the usual government intervention)? That's not very conservative. What about revenue sharing and tax initiatives to pay for new stadiums? Urban renewal projects? What sort of idiot doesn't even consider these things when talking the history of baseball.
As to being inherently American; this idea is born of the notion of the game as being pastoral. Anyone who believes that probably believes the game was invented in Cooperstown, NY by a Civil War general (completely false). It's an urban (read: liberal) assimilation of a British game played by immigrants. The game's spread throughout Latin American communities, and its subsequent effect on the make-up of club rosters, is a profound example of the "liberal" spread of the game and it's effect on the so-called "never-changing" game.
Halfway through the article, there's the quote about lack of administrative overrides or some such nonsense. I will never understand why conservatives don't see high profile umpires (Joe West, cough cough) as activist judges. More than that, the league office is constantly involving itself in day-to-day business. Kennesaw Mountain Landis (the first ever commish) is a prime example of the overreaching executive. You want to talk expansion of executive power, go talk about that guy. Institutionally, the owners and the commissioner are constantly tinkering with the game. The game was growing tiresome in the 1920's so the game was changed to favor home runs and more scoring. In the '40's and '50's baseball was at the forefront of societal change when it integrated. In the 60's and '70's they played around with the pitchers mound , expanded the schedule, and joined the rest of the country in west-ward and suburban expansion. In the '80's and '90's baseball embraced free agency, even more scoring, tinkered with the All-star game and the playoffs, and embraced media expansion. All of these major initiatives came from the league office.
Just because something is currently perceived as slow doesn't mean its conservative. At one point in time, baseball was looked upon as the fastest game in the world. It was a progressive, inner-city entity that was looked upon as an agent of change. Just the very notion of the game, that everyone gets their chance at bat is progressive.
(Here's at rhetorical question; if the game is so conservative, why isn't it the most popular sport in the most conservative area of the country (football dominates the south)?)
In the end, baseball is neither wholly conservative nor liberal. It's just baseball. It belongs to all of us who care about the game. Sit down, shut up, and enjoy. Idiot. (i'll put money on him being a Cub fan).
And with that, I'll never mention politics on the blog again...
Happy Labor Day, Everybody!
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