I know you're catching a lot of flack now (even from Skip Bayless (who was actually pretty rational, believe it or not)) about your comments about how you rarely love baseball.
And while I agree that it's not ideal for someone who has been so closely associated with baseball-calling the World Series, the All-Star Games, and countless Saturday afternoon games-for a good long time, I don't see your statements as anything more than you being burned out. Maybe ready to try something new. There's nothing wrong with that.
However, I disagree with some of your assertions. I don't think the games are too long. Could they be shorter? Should they be? Yeah. Probably. And if you're going to watch all the games, attention undivided, you I could see why probably want them to be. I think a lot of people multitask while the games going, same as they do with radio though. I don't think length of the games is as big a problem as baseball seems to think it is.
But, you did stumble on something when you compared baseball's schedule to football. Saying of football, "It's got such an advantage being once a week and every game's a big deal. And there are only 16 games all year..(snip) Standing really change in a couple weeks." I think you are right. I think a lot of people like how things can change so quickly from week to week. And that they really only have to invest 3 hours of time to watch their team (though most people probably invest a good deal more than that) during the week to know what's going on with their teams.
You're right. Baseball is more demanding. With baseball, there's generally at least 6 games a week for your team. And if you're reading local columnists and national coverage and trying to keep up with other teams in your division and league as well as interesting things happening all over the league (as I do), it can take up a lot of time. (And that's not even talking about the fantasy leagues.) I can see why a lot of people could find that daunting. I can see why a lot of people, as you say, would watch a game or two on the weekend, but not have the time to invest on during the week games. But for me (and I'll stipulate that I'm not an average baseball fan, but not a superfan. I still have a life outside of watching the Cardinals and all that goes with it for me.), I think that's what makes the game great.
162 games. 6 plus months. It's much more like work than a game when you think of it in those terms. There's few days off. Ther's not a full week to strategize and plan for just one game. Instead, they have to play pretty much every day for 6 months (barring injury) trying to produce at a steady rate and win games. It's a game of endurance and delayed gratification-two qualities which aren't (let's say) used most in describing the current zeitgeist, in America at least. It's not as easy to celebrate after a win, because it doesn't feel as big. It feels more like the wins we get at work (if we're lucky). Yay, I did well at my meeting today. Tomorrow there's another meeting and I've got to do well at that too. So, in a way, it's less escapist than football. And because a lot of why we watch sports is because of the escapism, baseball can suffer if it feels like it's a chore to keep up with everything.
And, Mr. Buck, it sounds like baseball has become a chore for you. Professionaly, I think this means that maybe it's time for you to step away from the game of the week. If you're not enjoying yourself, it's going to (and I would say has) come across as you call the game. You've got a dry sense of humor, and a low-key approach, so that can mask some of the ambivalence you feel, but ultimatley, the viewer's gonna be able to tell. And it's not gonna be a good situation for you or for the game.
For you personally, though. Well. I feel bad for you. You talk about how you used to enjoy the game and it's always sad when people lose the joy they once got from something. So, if as rumored, you're looking into getting a talk show or something, I say good for you. Good luck. Maybe getting away for a little bit would do you some good.
Anyway, just my thoughts. Good luck,
Joe
PS. If you think it's hard to watch 162 games a year, (which few people do Mr. Buck) I don't want to hear you bad-mouth another player who has a hard time getting up for each and every game.
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Cubs fans, Bud cans...
It was October 14, 2003. A fortnight into October and the Cubs were still playing. I was living about a mile north of Wrigley field where the game I was watching on TV was taking place. Amazingly the Cubs were 5 outs away from going to the World Series. And we all remember what happened next. Moises Alou failed to catch a foul ball (that a fan may have prevented him from getting to) and threw a hissy fit. Mark Prior (pitching the 400th inning of his season) started to implode and Alex S. Gonzales booted an easy inning-ender. And ever so quickly, the Cubs lost the series. In short, the Cubs crapped the bed. Writers (stupid writers!) brought up the Curse of the Billy Goat again.
In the past the Cubs fans took losses like this more or less in stride. It was who they are and they more or less expected it. This loss was different though. They were getting closer to the 100 year mark. Between that and watching the Red Sox end their futility the year after, things started changing. The fans started expecting more. They started feeling desperate as they neared the 100 year mark of failure. (And it's definitely on people's minds).
And then things got worse. The rival White Sox won a World Series right across town. More people in Chicago were watching the White Sox than the Cubs, which is totally unthinkable, really. And judging by the firm I was working at when the W-sox won (and all the shiny-new Sox hats), a lot of Cubs fans were sick of losing. The fans didn't want to be the "loveable losers" anymore.
Then, in 2006, they watched their more immediate rival St. Louis Cardinals win (hell yeah!) with a team that has since been labeled the least talented team to win the World Series. (Take that 1986 Twins!) And I think (I don't know, but I think) the Cubs thought it could've been them. And suddenly (well, probably spurred by the attempts of the Tribune company to sell the team), management went out and brought in talent in a way they hadn't done in a long time, which got fans expectations up.
Now. Why do I bring this up? Well, yesterday Marty Brennaman, the Cincinnati play-by-play announcer made some comments about Cubs fans that should probably be put in context. In short, Brennaman said that Cubs fans actions make the team hard to root for. They, in fact make you want to root against the team. They're "far and away the most obnoxious fan base" in baseball. (Though he does say he can't speak too much to the Yankees and Red Sox fans because he doesn't see them.)
I can't speak for them being the worst, because I haven't seen as many crowds as Brennaman, but I can definitely say this year, they have been quite obnoxious. So far, we've had the start of fans throwing multiple balls back after opponents hit home runs (which is what raised Brennaman's dander) and we've had a drunken fan fall into the homerun basket out in the bleachers. And this is just the stuff that's caught the news media's attention. What they don't see is the fans drunkenly (hey, there's that word again) piling out of the stadium, slowing down all traffic and El in and out of the area. The bar fights and the screaming and harassing they do to anyone who is wearing an opposing hat or jersey. Just the general nuisance the fans en mass are. Sure, it's all mostly harmless, but it is obnoxious.
But, I didn't come here to dig up bad memories of Cubs failures past (no...not me) and defend Brennaman's opinion (though he's certainly got a point). I came to put it in context. To explain it a little bit.
When I first moved here in 2001, I went to some games. The first game I saw at Wrigley, Kerry Wood pitched against the Pirates. It was a day game in either April or May. The Cubs had no real expectations of winning, but they were a decent team. And the game was fun. Sure, everyone was upset the team couldn't get it together, but they were who they were. The "loveable losers". You couldn't get mad at them for sucking. It was who they were.
And really just getting out to Wrigley for a day game was its own reward. You went to the game hoping they would win, but not expecting it. Then the near-World Series happened. And all those things I talked about in the beginning happened. And everything changed. The fans now expect a win every game. But what didn't change is the idea that going to Wrigley is a lot about having a good time and not as much about actually watching the game. It's more about getting drunk (for a good many Cub fans, especially the twenty-somethings, though not all) and cheering when good things happen and booing when bad things happen, but with the expectation that the team should win, no matter what. The fans think they deserve it.
And when it doesn't happen, they act like idiots. It's really that simple. At least it is to me (a Cardinal fan). And really, I feel some sympathy for them (after all, it was nearly me...). It's the same kind of sympathy one would feel toward a four-year-old who can't stop peeing himself. So, I guess I don't share Brennaman's outrage at throwing extra balls on the field. To me, it's all just frustration of an entitled fan-base. They'll get over it in 2015 (as prophecied by Back to the Future 2), when they finally do win.
****
What is interesting to me though, is when you compare Brennaman's comments to the events of what is now being called "the Bartman game". On the one hand you have people, including Cub players (erroneously) blaming a fan for blowing a game. To the extent that the poor guy had to be escorted out of the game for his own safety. And all of his personal information ended up all over everywhere. The Illinois Governer joked he should join the witness protection program. People really hated this guy who had been a fan of the Cubs his whole life.
Back to yesterday when we've got Brennaman telling us that the Cubs fanbase is one of the most obnoxious. And that it's the fans the makes him (and presumably others) root against the team.
And it brings up something else Brennaman (or possibly his cohort, whose name is escaping me, though he definitely used to work for ESPN) said. Speaking of the Cubs continuous losing streaks he said, "Oh, it's never their fault". (Meaning the team's fault, not the fans). And he's got a great point. For some reason, no one ever says they players weren't good enough. It's always that they fail to come through in the one moment. Or, mostly, that something supernatural or flukey intervened to stop the Cubs from their destiny.
(Here's the truth of the Cubs in 2003 (which I apparently figured out 5 years later. Hey, I make up in correct what I lack in quick), they weren't good enough. If they were, they would've won the games after the Bartman game. People seem to think this was the deciding game. It wasn't.)
Maybe the fans are doing the team more harm than good? I don't know. One thing's for certain though, there's nothing lovable about these losers. (Watch for Jay Mariotti to steal this line later in the season after the Cubs start to really tank...)
In the past the Cubs fans took losses like this more or less in stride. It was who they are and they more or less expected it. This loss was different though. They were getting closer to the 100 year mark. Between that and watching the Red Sox end their futility the year after, things started changing. The fans started expecting more. They started feeling desperate as they neared the 100 year mark of failure. (And it's definitely on people's minds).
And then things got worse. The rival White Sox won a World Series right across town. More people in Chicago were watching the White Sox than the Cubs, which is totally unthinkable, really. And judging by the firm I was working at when the W-sox won (and all the shiny-new Sox hats), a lot of Cubs fans were sick of losing. The fans didn't want to be the "loveable losers" anymore.
Then, in 2006, they watched their more immediate rival St. Louis Cardinals win (hell yeah!) with a team that has since been labeled the least talented team to win the World Series. (Take that 1986 Twins!) And I think (I don't know, but I think) the Cubs thought it could've been them. And suddenly (well, probably spurred by the attempts of the Tribune company to sell the team), management went out and brought in talent in a way they hadn't done in a long time, which got fans expectations up.
Now. Why do I bring this up? Well, yesterday Marty Brennaman, the Cincinnati play-by-play announcer made some comments about Cubs fans that should probably be put in context. In short, Brennaman said that Cubs fans actions make the team hard to root for. They, in fact make you want to root against the team. They're "far and away the most obnoxious fan base" in baseball. (Though he does say he can't speak too much to the Yankees and Red Sox fans because he doesn't see them.)
I can't speak for them being the worst, because I haven't seen as many crowds as Brennaman, but I can definitely say this year, they have been quite obnoxious. So far, we've had the start of fans throwing multiple balls back after opponents hit home runs (which is what raised Brennaman's dander) and we've had a drunken fan fall into the homerun basket out in the bleachers. And this is just the stuff that's caught the news media's attention. What they don't see is the fans drunkenly (hey, there's that word again) piling out of the stadium, slowing down all traffic and El in and out of the area. The bar fights and the screaming and harassing they do to anyone who is wearing an opposing hat or jersey. Just the general nuisance the fans en mass are. Sure, it's all mostly harmless, but it is obnoxious.
But, I didn't come here to dig up bad memories of Cubs failures past (no...not me) and defend Brennaman's opinion (though he's certainly got a point). I came to put it in context. To explain it a little bit.
When I first moved here in 2001, I went to some games. The first game I saw at Wrigley, Kerry Wood pitched against the Pirates. It was a day game in either April or May. The Cubs had no real expectations of winning, but they were a decent team. And the game was fun. Sure, everyone was upset the team couldn't get it together, but they were who they were. The "loveable losers". You couldn't get mad at them for sucking. It was who they were.
And really just getting out to Wrigley for a day game was its own reward. You went to the game hoping they would win, but not expecting it. Then the near-World Series happened. And all those things I talked about in the beginning happened. And everything changed. The fans now expect a win every game. But what didn't change is the idea that going to Wrigley is a lot about having a good time and not as much about actually watching the game. It's more about getting drunk (for a good many Cub fans, especially the twenty-somethings, though not all) and cheering when good things happen and booing when bad things happen, but with the expectation that the team should win, no matter what. The fans think they deserve it.
And when it doesn't happen, they act like idiots. It's really that simple. At least it is to me (a Cardinal fan). And really, I feel some sympathy for them (after all, it was nearly me...). It's the same kind of sympathy one would feel toward a four-year-old who can't stop peeing himself. So, I guess I don't share Brennaman's outrage at throwing extra balls on the field. To me, it's all just frustration of an entitled fan-base. They'll get over it in 2015 (as prophecied by Back to the Future 2), when they finally do win.
****
What is interesting to me though, is when you compare Brennaman's comments to the events of what is now being called "the Bartman game". On the one hand you have people, including Cub players (erroneously) blaming a fan for blowing a game. To the extent that the poor guy had to be escorted out of the game for his own safety. And all of his personal information ended up all over everywhere. The Illinois Governer joked he should join the witness protection program. People really hated this guy who had been a fan of the Cubs his whole life.
Back to yesterday when we've got Brennaman telling us that the Cubs fanbase is one of the most obnoxious. And that it's the fans the makes him (and presumably others) root against the team.
And it brings up something else Brennaman (or possibly his cohort, whose name is escaping me, though he definitely used to work for ESPN) said. Speaking of the Cubs continuous losing streaks he said, "Oh, it's never their fault". (Meaning the team's fault, not the fans). And he's got a great point. For some reason, no one ever says they players weren't good enough. It's always that they fail to come through in the one moment. Or, mostly, that something supernatural or flukey intervened to stop the Cubs from their destiny.
(Here's the truth of the Cubs in 2003 (which I apparently figured out 5 years later. Hey, I make up in correct what I lack in quick), they weren't good enough. If they were, they would've won the games after the Bartman game. People seem to think this was the deciding game. It wasn't.)
Maybe the fans are doing the team more harm than good? I don't know. One thing's for certain though, there's nothing lovable about these losers. (Watch for Jay Mariotti to steal this line later in the season after the Cubs start to really tank...)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)