Last night I was relaying to the Schwab my thoughts on basketball and the hilarity that is the court seating arrangements during breaks in the action. And he said, somewhat indignantly I might add,“I told you why they do that Reluctant! It’s to conserve energy. Saves them some steps.”
Ummm….yeah. Very astute reasoning. Elite athletes. Peak physical condition. Those extra 3 steps (more like 5 for those of a ::ahem:: smaller stature) will surely tucker them out. Those poor, poor, young men. How can they be expected to win if they have to expend energy returning to their seat? Surely those extra steps have huge consequences in the outcome of any contest.
And I don’t care if there have been a million studies on the validity of this strategy, just like my grandfather when he gets behind a cause with little to no evidence to support his viewpoint, I am staunchly refusing to waver in my view that it is silliness bordering on lunacy to construct seating arrangements on the court during breaks in the action.
Oh, and I’ll hide this further down in the post, but yeah….i was wrong about the Final Four winner. Eh, you can’t be right all the time. It’s probably b/c I didn’t watch. I’m not sure if people know this, but, the outcomes of most games can be traced back directly to me: whether I watched or not. Sorry UCLA fans.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
March Insanity
I’m not a basketball fan. And it has nothing to do with the game itself.
It’s the squeaky shoes.
For some, it’s nails on chalkboard that makes them crazy, for me: squeaky shoes. Squeak, Squeak, Squeak…the entire game, it’s all I hear (well, that and the incessantly loud, early 90’s tunes….answer me this: If everyone is in an enclosed space, and we are a captive audience, is there a particular reason that the music must drown out every other noise in the building? Including, but not limited to, conversations with the person sitting next to you? Are the cheerleaders that dumb that they need a loud audio-visual cue to get up and do….something?)
The Schwab enjoys a good college basketball game (surprised?), so we did, in fact, attend a few Pitt games this year. I’m grateful for the great seats we scored and the t-shirts catapulted into the crowd that so excited the 5-year-old sitting next to us, but still.
The shoes.
They are distracting.
Perhaps I should also admit here that I was more transfixed by Louisville having hired hands to put together a comfy seating arrangement on the court every time there was a break than by the actual scoring of points. Hey! I already said I’m not such a fan of the game!!
Anyway, the Schwab has been transfixed by March Madness and his bracket nonsense, yet again this year. Pitt bowed out early, but that didn’t free up time for the Schwab to join me in raking leaves and pruning shrubbery….. nope, he was glued to the T.V. and the assortment of games.
I hear the Final Four is this weekend.
I know who’s in it, but not the particulars, but, I’ll pick UCLA. California is a nice place. Ben Howland seems cool.
We are (fingers-crossed) supposed to have nice weather.
I bet I will be tackling the backyard leaf explosion by myself.
It’s the squeaky shoes.
For some, it’s nails on chalkboard that makes them crazy, for me: squeaky shoes. Squeak, Squeak, Squeak…the entire game, it’s all I hear (well, that and the incessantly loud, early 90’s tunes….answer me this: If everyone is in an enclosed space, and we are a captive audience, is there a particular reason that the music must drown out every other noise in the building? Including, but not limited to, conversations with the person sitting next to you? Are the cheerleaders that dumb that they need a loud audio-visual cue to get up and do….something?)
The Schwab enjoys a good college basketball game (surprised?), so we did, in fact, attend a few Pitt games this year. I’m grateful for the great seats we scored and the t-shirts catapulted into the crowd that so excited the 5-year-old sitting next to us, but still.
The shoes.
They are distracting.
Perhaps I should also admit here that I was more transfixed by Louisville having hired hands to put together a comfy seating arrangement on the court every time there was a break than by the actual scoring of points. Hey! I already said I’m not such a fan of the game!!
Anyway, the Schwab has been transfixed by March Madness and his bracket nonsense, yet again this year. Pitt bowed out early, but that didn’t free up time for the Schwab to join me in raking leaves and pruning shrubbery….. nope, he was glued to the T.V. and the assortment of games.
I hear the Final Four is this weekend.
I know who’s in it, but not the particulars, but, I’ll pick UCLA. California is a nice place. Ben Howland seems cool.
We are (fingers-crossed) supposed to have nice weather.
I bet I will be tackling the backyard leaf explosion by myself.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Sports Re-Runs.
The Schwab is a big Pitt fan. He enjoys a good Big East basketball matchup. On Saturday, he sat on the edge of the couch, on pins and needles, while watching Pitt ensure a narrow victory over Syracuse. He was excited by the win, and blathered on and on about March Madness and the Tournament. This Reluctant fan isn’t so much a fan of basketball, but as a good wife, she listened to his analysis.
So, on Sunday, I was very perplexed to find him again transfixed in front of the t.v., watching, you guessed it, the Pitt/Syracuse match-up. The very SAME game he enjoyed the day before. When asked why, why, why did he have to watch it AGAIN, the answer was simple: To focus his attention on what the defense did during the second half. Because he didn’t notice the day before? I mean, there’s only a handful of dudes on the court for both teams at any given time. But, moving on.
All of this brings me to this head-scratcher: Why do real sports aficionados watch the same game over and over again, when, and here’s the kicker: they already know who won? I mean, isn’t the point of sports the excitement of the moment? The nail-biter endings? The will it go in the basket/will he throw a hail mary/will he make a hole in one moments that make a game so exciting?
Why watch again? The fun is gone, the wind knocked out of the sails….the winner has already been decided. What’s the point?!
The Schwab, in what I feel must be membership in a rather large following of sports fans, sees the point. He watches basketball games from the 80’s when dudes wore tighty-short ensembles, and NFL Championship game clips and Super Bowls and golf tournaments and Big East basketball rebroadcasts. And, I suspect, he enjoys them almost as much the second time around.
I still don’t get it. But I’m thinking it must just be me.
So, on Sunday, I was very perplexed to find him again transfixed in front of the t.v., watching, you guessed it, the Pitt/Syracuse match-up. The very SAME game he enjoyed the day before. When asked why, why, why did he have to watch it AGAIN, the answer was simple: To focus his attention on what the defense did during the second half. Because he didn’t notice the day before? I mean, there’s only a handful of dudes on the court for both teams at any given time. But, moving on.
All of this brings me to this head-scratcher: Why do real sports aficionados watch the same game over and over again, when, and here’s the kicker: they already know who won? I mean, isn’t the point of sports the excitement of the moment? The nail-biter endings? The will it go in the basket/will he throw a hail mary/will he make a hole in one moments that make a game so exciting?
Why watch again? The fun is gone, the wind knocked out of the sails….the winner has already been decided. What’s the point?!
The Schwab, in what I feel must be membership in a rather large following of sports fans, sees the point. He watches basketball games from the 80’s when dudes wore tighty-short ensembles, and NFL Championship game clips and Super Bowls and golf tournaments and Big East basketball rebroadcasts. And, I suspect, he enjoys them almost as much the second time around.
I still don’t get it. But I’m thinking it must just be me.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Terrible Towel at Half Mast Today
Famed Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope died today.
I may not be a lifelong Steeler fan, but I remember the first time I heard his broadcast. The Schwab invited me over to his bachelor pad to an afternoon of football watching (this "date" should have tipped me off to his, oh, let's call it extreme appreciation, of sports).
The Steelers game was moments away from kick-off, the Schwab had his Terrible Towel at the ready, and then he did the unthinkable.....he lowered the volume on the television and turned up the radio....and I was greeted with the strangest sounding radio announcer voice...Ever. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, thousands of other fans did the same during the broadcasts, to here the radio announcer, and his proclomations of yoi and double yoi, call the game. The guy with the funny voice won me over that first day, as he did for fans for 3+ decades, before I became acquainted with him. He was an institution around these parts, a celebrity.....and very much beloved. And will be missed.......
I may not be a lifelong Steeler fan, but I remember the first time I heard his broadcast. The Schwab invited me over to his bachelor pad to an afternoon of football watching (this "date" should have tipped me off to his, oh, let's call it extreme appreciation, of sports).
The Steelers game was moments away from kick-off, the Schwab had his Terrible Towel at the ready, and then he did the unthinkable.....he lowered the volume on the television and turned up the radio....and I was greeted with the strangest sounding radio announcer voice...Ever. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, thousands of other fans did the same during the broadcasts, to here the radio announcer, and his proclomations of yoi and double yoi, call the game. The guy with the funny voice won me over that first day, as he did for fans for 3+ decades, before I became acquainted with him. He was an institution around these parts, a celebrity.....and very much beloved. And will be missed.......
Friday, February 22, 2008
ESPN! ESPN Everywhere!
The Schwab and I have moved. And while researching cable options, we decided to go with the fancy new fios offerings from Verizon, with their promised clear picture capabilities and millions of channels. Upon the departure of our helpful, friendly installer…..the Schwab began to channel surf (one of his all-time favorite past-times, closely followed by obsessive compulsively clicking through radio programs, making extended car rides a joy. Honestly.) and discovered…..every ESPN and NFL channel known to man. Joy. I was unaware of the proliferation of ESPN programming. A whole channel just for ESPN News. An entire channel dedicated to college sports. And on and on and on. And the NFL Network too! The Schwab, with visions of himself parked for hours in front of the T.V. with nothing but sports coverage to be consumed by, was delirious with anticipation and happiness.
I fear for my "sports widowdom", especially during football season. It's a good thing we have more than one television in the new pad.
I fear for my "sports widowdom", especially during football season. It's a good thing we have more than one television in the new pad.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Arlen Specter, You are an IDIOT
As mentioned in my baseball post below, intense congressional interest in sports is mind-boggling to me. And also, a colossal waste of time and my TAX DOLLARS!
What? Arlen Specter wasn't getting any more coverage for his cancer and crusade for stem cells, so he needed to get some publicity? And decided, "hmmmm? What will garner the most news coverage for me? I've got it! Let's resurrect a topic from 6 months ago, and insist that there is something more sinister going on......and pounce! That'll do it".
Idiot.
Is someone checking to make sure that all those medications haven't made him mental?
I'm hard-pressed to find one reason why Congress should give two sh!ts about whether or not the Patriots cheated. I hate the Patriots and I don't care that they cheated. I've said it before and I'll say it again, It's a Game. Let's repeat that to ourselves in a rational manner: It's a Game.
Does Congress have so much extra time on their hands now that they can worry about a game whose sole reason for being is for entertainment?
Hmmmm?
Because as an ordinary, somewhat well-informed citizen.....I think NOT.
I'm going to step off the soapbox now, still muttering to myself about our idiotic lawmakers, otherwise I will pull out all of my hair in frustration...and I'm not sure that I could pull off bald.
What? Arlen Specter wasn't getting any more coverage for his cancer and crusade for stem cells, so he needed to get some publicity? And decided, "hmmmm? What will garner the most news coverage for me? I've got it! Let's resurrect a topic from 6 months ago, and insist that there is something more sinister going on......and pounce! That'll do it".
Idiot.
Is someone checking to make sure that all those medications haven't made him mental?
I'm hard-pressed to find one reason why Congress should give two sh!ts about whether or not the Patriots cheated. I hate the Patriots and I don't care that they cheated. I've said it before and I'll say it again, It's a Game. Let's repeat that to ourselves in a rational manner: It's a Game.
Does Congress have so much extra time on their hands now that they can worry about a game whose sole reason for being is for entertainment?
Hmmmm?
Because as an ordinary, somewhat well-informed citizen.....I think NOT.
I'm going to step off the soapbox now, still muttering to myself about our idiotic lawmakers, otherwise I will pull out all of my hair in frustration...and I'm not sure that I could pull off bald.
Monday, February 11, 2008
I Love Being Right.
I'm a little late on this post...but it has to be said:
I love being right.
I loved watching the Patriots leave Arizona with their tails between their legs. Loved watching Bill Belichek tersely answer questions after the big loss. Loved every minute of the mid-field celebration after the game.
Like I said, I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Giants fan, but I for sure jumped around the room a little bit as the final seconds ticked down and victory was confirmed. I then watched all the post-game analysis, as the "experts", shell-shocked by a Patriots loss, tried to make sense of the game...I particularly enjoyed that part. I love that they were wrong....and of course, I was right.
Did I mention....I was right? :)
I'm fairly certain the 70-whatever Miami Dolphin geezers were up late enjoying the sweet taste of icy cold champagne in celebration.
I love being right.
I loved watching the Patriots leave Arizona with their tails between their legs. Loved watching Bill Belichek tersely answer questions after the big loss. Loved every minute of the mid-field celebration after the game.
Like I said, I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Giants fan, but I for sure jumped around the room a little bit as the final seconds ticked down and victory was confirmed. I then watched all the post-game analysis, as the "experts", shell-shocked by a Patriots loss, tried to make sense of the game...I particularly enjoyed that part. I love that they were wrong....and of course, I was right.
Did I mention....I was right? :)
I'm fairly certain the 70-whatever Miami Dolphin geezers were up late enjoying the sweet taste of icy cold champagne in celebration.
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