October 27, 2011 - Josh Hamilton hits a 10th inning home run to lead the Texas Rangers to a 9-7 win in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. The Rangers win the series 4-2 - their first MLB championship.
October 29, 2011 - During the rally for the champion Rangers, Josh Hamilton declares that he would love to spend the rest of his career in Texas. GM Jon Daniels promises that the team will do whatever is necessary to keep the World Series MVP.
February 2, 2012 - Hamilton continues his victory tour, speaking to a group of high school students in Fort Worth, Texas.
May 8, 2012 - Hamilton goes 2-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs in a 5-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. It's only Hamilton's fourth home run of the season, and it's an indication that the slugger is breaking out of his post-championship April slump.
July 8, 2012 - Hamilton hits his 26th and 27th home runs in a 9-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. Riding a hot May and June, Hamilton is voted in as the starting center fielder in the All-Star game. He receives the most votes of any player in history.
July 28, 2012 - Hamilton hits four home runs against Chicago, catapulting the Rangers to a 10-5 win over the White Sox. After the game, Hamilton makes veiled hints that the team is getting closer to signing the slugger to an extension.
September 18, 2012 - Under pressure to get Hamilton signed, Jon Daniels announces a 4-year, $100 million extension for the World Series MVP. Josh re-iterates that he wants to spend the rest of his career in Texas.
September 20, 2012 - Hamilton hits his fourth and fifth home run in a crucial three-game series in Anaheim. The Rangers completed a 3-game sweep of the Angels, dropping the Rangers magic number to win the division to four with 13 games remaining.
October 11, 2012 - Despite an 0-3 game, Rangers' fans chant "M-V-P" for Hamilton in his final at-bat in game 5 of the American League Division Series. The Rangers had no answer for Tigers' ace Justin Verlander, and the Rangers were eliminated.
December 13, 2012 - Speaking at an event at a North Texas church, 2012 MVP Josh Hamilton expresses relief that he already has a deal with Texas. "I'm glad I'm not out there trying to get a job with some team," he says.
April 5, 2013 - Hamilton gets the loudest standing ovation when the 2013 Rangers are announced. Hamilton claims the cheers are louder than any playoff game he's been a part of.
October 31, 2013 - Hamilton scores the go-ahead run as the Rangers win Game 7 of the World Series 5-3 over the Washington Nationals. Hamilton declares the Ranger fans "the best in the world" as he accepts his second World Series MVP trophy.
November 8, 2016 - Hamilton agrees to a 2-year, $38 million deal with the Rangers. Despite a noticeable drop in numbers, GM John Daniels believes that Hamilton can carve out a couple more years as a designated hitter.
May 21, 2018 - On his 37th birthday, Josh Hamilton strikes out three times in four plate appearances to drop his batting average to .192 on the season. After the game, Hamilton jokes with reporters that he's playing poorly enough that he should be booed. DFW sports reporters can't help but laugh at the idea, since no one can imagine a Texas crowd booing Josh Hamilton.
October 4, 2018 - With tears in his eyes, Josh Hamilton announced his retirement. The 3-time MVP struggled through his final season in the majors, hitting .214 with 12 home runs working primarily as the Rangers' designated hitter. Faced with impending free agency, Josh declares that he'd rather retire than play anywhere else. Sources within the Rangers say that the Rangers' front office was relieved that Josh retired, noting pressure to re-sign the popular slugger from the fan base.
July 15, 2019 - In front of a sold-out crowd, Josh Hamilton is honored alongside several members of the 2011 and 2013 World Series teams as his number is retired. "Josh, you will always be a Texas Ranger," says legend Michael Young in a pregame ceremony.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Is Superstition a Religious Experience?
TCU lost their bowl game tonight, 17-16, to Michigan State. Our group decided to watch the game at Buffalo Wild Wings, the official location of the TCU Dallas Alumni Association. And even though we arrived at the restaurant at 7:45 (for a 9:15 kickoff), we weren't seated for a table by halftime of the game. You see, the restaurant had a finite number of tables, and people weren't leaving. So even though we started the game 4th in line for a table, we left about two hours later without a table.
When we left, TCU was up 13-0. We watched the entire second half at our apartment, and the game ended 17-16 Michigan State. When you break it down, we won one half 13-0 (at Buffalo Wild Wings). We lost the second half 17-3 (at the apartment).
As the game fell apart for the good guys, a couple of us mentioned that we should've stayed at Buffalo Wild Wings. Because, as far as we were concerned, only one variable had changed (the venue). If we were doing a chemistry experiment and you change one variable, you're certain of the result. The new variable caused a change in the reaction.
From this perspective, moving from Buffalo Wild Wings to our apartment caused TCU to lose.
We call this phenomenon "superstition." A phenonmenon defined as "A widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice."
When this was uttered, my roommate scoffed. "Yeah, it had nothing to do with Trevone's injury or the defense's inability to stop Bell." Which is true. When you break down the game, that's what happened. Our quarterback was limited by an injury, and their running back began to play better.
But he discounted superstition.
*Please note that I'm about to get into a religious discussion. The following is simply me playing devil's advocate. My own religious beliefs are far too complicated to ever be put onto an internet blog. Thank you for your understanding.*
My roommate is a deeply religious man. He believes in a power greater than himself. He's faithful that someone he cannot see is looking out for him. And he believes that if he does certain things, it will lead to good things for him later.
And my question is....how is religion any different than simple superstition?
And I'm serious. How does the belief of where I watch football in relation to the outcome of the game differ from the belief that if I do not lie, I will go to Heaven?
In both cases, I'm believing in something that I cannot see (or even prove the existence of) and hoping that what I do will get me what I want.
Example one - John is watching his favorite team. He is wearing a ratty, old T-shirt in belief that it will make his favorite team win a professional baseball game.
Example two - John has a very important business meeting the following day. He prays at night that the meeting will go well so that he can get a promotion he desperately needs.
How are those two different?
I think someone like my roommate would argue that the first example is stupid because it's just a game. That God has more to worry about than can put more points up than the other team.
But it's never that simple. True...a bowl game result doesn't impact my life. But it does impact other people's lives. A win or a loss can change many people's lives. Coaches get fired by certain wins or losses. Senior's lives can change based on whether or not they left on top. Same goes for band members, cheerleaders, equipment staff, and administrators The list goes on and on. It's just as important to them as John's job (from Example two) is to John.
But then there's the question my mom brings up - what about the Michigan State version of myself? If staying at Buffalo Wild Wings is the key, then what happens if Michigan State Drew stays at Buffalo Wild Wings too? How does God decide who wins?
And that's a valid argument. But God has to make many of these decisions, and it doesn't impact whether or not we pray. In example two, John's presentation could be for a new client he's trying to get. And, almost certainly, that means that he's competing against another candidate for the same client. They're probably making similar prayers that they get the job, instead of John's company. In that case, whose prayer does God choose to side with?
In both sports superstitious examples and real-life prayer examples, God usually has to make a choice. Even when it comes to something good or bad (say, a relative fighting a disease)...where either the person lives (universally good) or the person dies (universally bad)....God has to make a choice. And sometimes he chooses to allow the person to die, despite an overwhelmingly large percentage of people praying for the other outcome.
So what's the difference? In both cases (superstition and religion), we're choosing to believe in something we can't understand. In both cases, we typically believe it with every part of our being. And in both cases, it's typically something that we feel is very important to us.
So why do some people dismiss superstition and embrace religion? Do we simply believe that God doesn't care about sports? Or other trivial things? But if we care about it, why wouldn't God care about it? If God doesn't care about certain things that we care about, how can we be certain that He cares about other things that we care about? If he doesn't care about something that creates the living of certain people, why would God care about something that creates our own living?
We often talk about "the football gods" when talking about such superstitious things. We pretend, for the moment, that we're polytheistic. But when we get down to it, "the football gods" are simply our one God. And we're hoping that God chooses between our team and the other team.
People like my roommate seems to think that God doesn't belong in this. But he either belongs in everything or he belongs in nothing. I don't think God would choose to take himself out of one "man vs. man" decision and insert himself in some other one. Just because it's a game doesn't mean it's important. Almost all of our prayers are usually directly against another person's prayers. When you pray for your grandmother to survive an illness, you're probably going directly against some malpractice lawyer's wish for a new case. When you pray that you get a great grade on a test, you're going directly against another student's prayer that no one busts the curve. When you pray for 1st prize in a competition, you're directly praying against dozens of others in the same contest that want it just as badly as you do.
At the end of the day, I don't see a difference. You want something, and you do something hoping that it will work. Wearing something somewhere (a lucky shirt at a certain restaurant vs. your nicest clothes to church) hoping to get what you want (a win vs. eternal happiness).
One might be more important than another, but we're making that choice. God isn't. So who's to say that one person's belief is crazier than another's?
When we left, TCU was up 13-0. We watched the entire second half at our apartment, and the game ended 17-16 Michigan State. When you break it down, we won one half 13-0 (at Buffalo Wild Wings). We lost the second half 17-3 (at the apartment).
As the game fell apart for the good guys, a couple of us mentioned that we should've stayed at Buffalo Wild Wings. Because, as far as we were concerned, only one variable had changed (the venue). If we were doing a chemistry experiment and you change one variable, you're certain of the result. The new variable caused a change in the reaction.
From this perspective, moving from Buffalo Wild Wings to our apartment caused TCU to lose.
We call this phenomenon "superstition." A phenonmenon defined as "A widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice."
When this was uttered, my roommate scoffed. "Yeah, it had nothing to do with Trevone's injury or the defense's inability to stop Bell." Which is true. When you break down the game, that's what happened. Our quarterback was limited by an injury, and their running back began to play better.
But he discounted superstition.
*Please note that I'm about to get into a religious discussion. The following is simply me playing devil's advocate. My own religious beliefs are far too complicated to ever be put onto an internet blog. Thank you for your understanding.*
My roommate is a deeply religious man. He believes in a power greater than himself. He's faithful that someone he cannot see is looking out for him. And he believes that if he does certain things, it will lead to good things for him later.
And my question is....how is religion any different than simple superstition?
And I'm serious. How does the belief of where I watch football in relation to the outcome of the game differ from the belief that if I do not lie, I will go to Heaven?
In both cases, I'm believing in something that I cannot see (or even prove the existence of) and hoping that what I do will get me what I want.
Example one - John is watching his favorite team. He is wearing a ratty, old T-shirt in belief that it will make his favorite team win a professional baseball game.
Example two - John has a very important business meeting the following day. He prays at night that the meeting will go well so that he can get a promotion he desperately needs.
How are those two different?
I think someone like my roommate would argue that the first example is stupid because it's just a game. That God has more to worry about than can put more points up than the other team.
But it's never that simple. True...a bowl game result doesn't impact my life. But it does impact other people's lives. A win or a loss can change many people's lives. Coaches get fired by certain wins or losses. Senior's lives can change based on whether or not they left on top. Same goes for band members, cheerleaders, equipment staff, and administrators The list goes on and on. It's just as important to them as John's job (from Example two) is to John.
But then there's the question my mom brings up - what about the Michigan State version of myself? If staying at Buffalo Wild Wings is the key, then what happens if Michigan State Drew stays at Buffalo Wild Wings too? How does God decide who wins?
And that's a valid argument. But God has to make many of these decisions, and it doesn't impact whether or not we pray. In example two, John's presentation could be for a new client he's trying to get. And, almost certainly, that means that he's competing against another candidate for the same client. They're probably making similar prayers that they get the job, instead of John's company. In that case, whose prayer does God choose to side with?
In both sports superstitious examples and real-life prayer examples, God usually has to make a choice. Even when it comes to something good or bad (say, a relative fighting a disease)...where either the person lives (universally good) or the person dies (universally bad)....God has to make a choice. And sometimes he chooses to allow the person to die, despite an overwhelmingly large percentage of people praying for the other outcome.
So what's the difference? In both cases (superstition and religion), we're choosing to believe in something we can't understand. In both cases, we typically believe it with every part of our being. And in both cases, it's typically something that we feel is very important to us.
So why do some people dismiss superstition and embrace religion? Do we simply believe that God doesn't care about sports? Or other trivial things? But if we care about it, why wouldn't God care about it? If God doesn't care about certain things that we care about, how can we be certain that He cares about other things that we care about? If he doesn't care about something that creates the living of certain people, why would God care about something that creates our own living?
We often talk about "the football gods" when talking about such superstitious things. We pretend, for the moment, that we're polytheistic. But when we get down to it, "the football gods" are simply our one God. And we're hoping that God chooses between our team and the other team.
People like my roommate seems to think that God doesn't belong in this. But he either belongs in everything or he belongs in nothing. I don't think God would choose to take himself out of one "man vs. man" decision and insert himself in some other one. Just because it's a game doesn't mean it's important. Almost all of our prayers are usually directly against another person's prayers. When you pray for your grandmother to survive an illness, you're probably going directly against some malpractice lawyer's wish for a new case. When you pray that you get a great grade on a test, you're going directly against another student's prayer that no one busts the curve. When you pray for 1st prize in a competition, you're directly praying against dozens of others in the same contest that want it just as badly as you do.
At the end of the day, I don't see a difference. You want something, and you do something hoping that it will work. Wearing something somewhere (a lucky shirt at a certain restaurant vs. your nicest clothes to church) hoping to get what you want (a win vs. eternal happiness).
One might be more important than another, but we're making that choice. God isn't. So who's to say that one person's belief is crazier than another's?
Sunday, November 25, 2012
A Different Kind of Thanksgiving
When TCU joined the Big XII, there were a bunch of benefits. Having teams like Texas Tech and Oklahoma forced to come play us at home. Never having to hear the "who have you played?" argument. Actually being on (real) TV.
And then there was playing Texas. In Austin. On Thanksgiving Night.
That's a tough task to ask for a lot of people. Thanksgiving is about family for many. Getting together and eating ridiculous amounts of poultry. But family has never been that big for me. Not unimportant. Just not big. We don't have much extended family that we deal with, and my sister just started her own family. Thanksgiving night would mean going with my mother to a family friend's house. Which is nice. But give me TCU.
I do like some of the pomp and circumstance (read: FOOD!) surrounding Thanksgiving so I jumped at the chance when I saw that TCU's alumni association was throwing a fancy (expensive) lunch. But it would have turkey and dressing and all the deserts....so it would feel like Thanksgiving before the big game.
Joining me on this voyage was Ashley, along with our friends Ryan and Carrie. We traveled separately but spent the rest of the time together. Ash and I decided to travel down Thursday morning and spend the night, coming back Friday. I drove. Now, I hate driving, but Ashley's truck has been in the shop for about a year and a half now. So it was on me - and it meant that I got control of the satellite radio the whole time....so that's not too bad. And we actually made really good time - no traffic at all.
Breakfast was a different matter. Going up to Oklahoma State, our little group had breakfast at the crack of dawn at Cindi's, and I thought that would be a good plan this time. And it was our plan all the way up until Thanksgiving morning. As we were walking over there, I had a thought that hadn't occurred to any of us.
What if Cindi's, for some crazy reason, decided not to be open on Thanksgiving. And, of course, they weren't. So our epic Thanksgiving began with a simple breakfast at Starbuck's.
We get to Austin, get back with our friends, and head to the fancy lunch. We parked in downtown Austin, and we found a lot right next to the hotel. Great. It's $10, and we're in spot 9. $10. Spot 9. But all the talk of $10 parking made Ryan a bit confused, and he prompted to put his 10 dollars in the slot of Spot 10. I was the only one that noticed, but it was too late. So the parking guys get free money, and we paid $20. Oops.
The lunch was really nice. Really good food, and it was pretty nice to hang out with fellow TCU people. A family was sitting next to us, and they were pretty nice. After that, we headed to a beer garden to watch some of the Lions/Texans game. There was a lot of burnt orange, but there was also a surprising bit of purple in the sea. And despite being draped in purple, I didn't hear much from anyone.
Being an away fan at a game is always weird. When I'm at a home game for any of my teams, I always look at the visiting fans with a bit of curiosity. As a kid, I always wondered what kind of person would grow up cheering for the Royals or the Cardinals, not quite being able to connect in my head that sports is usually 99% about geography and not choice.
College is a bit different because there's more choice involved. But I still look at it the same way. My team is the correct choice, and the other people are the oddity. There's just a lot more of them this time. But even at the game, it's very strange to have something bad happen for my team....and everyone cheers. Even the PA announcer seems excited. Very odd to me, even though it should be something simple.
After a while, we headed to the official Austin TCU Alumni tailgate. They had free food and drinks, and it was right next to the stadium. I was hoping to be able to watch some of the Cowboy game, and they did have a TV set up. It was actually set up in a Texas tailgate right next door, but they didn't seem to mind., Most of the others in our group went and hung out to the side, but I decided to torture myself and watch the Cowboys.
The Cowboys are a blog to their own, even in these times when I'm blogging once a month. I even started one that I might finish sometime. But the short story is that I have to watch the Cowboys. Whether I believe they'll win or whether I think they're good. Even if I believe they're trying or not (usually, if I don't think the team cares, I don't care).
Luckily, the game was interrupted with an unexpected visit from the TCU band, cheerleaders, showgirls, and SuperFrog. A couple of the baton twirlers even showed up (side story - one of the baton twirlers was way too skinny. And if you know me, that means a lot). That was pretty cool, and I thought it was nice of the nearby Texas fans to let us have our fun. They simply put their horns up and let us do our thing. It was a nice little moment for us.
So I watched as much of the Cowboy game as I could, either because they were awful to watch or because I was watching a relatively tiny TV from a safe-enough distance. But as the game hit halftime, the sun began to go down, and the excitement began to build, I started focusing a bit more on the Frogs. Plus, the Cowboys were down 28-3.
We got inside the stadium, and thankfully, we were in the visitor's section. It's always pretty fun to be in the visitor's section as you try and be the David to the rest of the stadium's Goliath. I know how much it sucks to have the visitors' cheers drown out the home cheers, and this is our chance to get payback. It always seems like we're really loud, but I always make sure to check with the TV broadcast for verification.
TCU started the game off pretty well with an interception and a nice little drive down the field. Our side chanted "T-C-U!" after every first down, and I started wondering if the Texas fans thought we were insane. You don't typically hear chants that often or that early, but then I remembered that these are the fans that have to deal with Oklahoma constantly playing Boomer Sooner after every two yard draw to the left.
TCU took the lead, and every time Texas looked in position to score, David Ash would make a mistake. There was a kid (who could've been anywhere from 15 to 21...everyone looks young to me now) in front of us who was cheering for Texas, and he got really excited whenever anything would happen. Every time a Texas player got into the open field, it was a definite touchdown, and he jumped up when anything happened. He chanted and cheered and held his horns up. I was thinking it was going to be annoying in our little purple haven, but it didn't really bother me as much as I though it would. I understood.
And TCU ended up holding on and winning. The game got interesting down the stretch, as we felt that the refs tried to keep Texas in the game with some favorable calls for the Longhorns. But Case McCoy made a terrible decision, and the Frogs came out on top.
The following day, I talked to Tucker about the game. Tucker's a big UT guy, and this is the one game every year where we're each going to be biased about our teams.
And there's something about football, particularly with two people that are really excited about their teams, that is really interesting to me. They say that there's holding on every play in football, and that the officials need to be smart about when to call it. So it's no surprise that both sides of fans always complain about holding. I mentioned three (to us) obvious holding penalties on Texas' TD-scoring drive that went uncalled, followed by a holding call against TCU on their next offensive drive. It seemed like the refs were letting Texas hold, while making a call on TCU (on a play that might have put the game away without giving Texas one more shot to tie) to extend the game.
Tucker, then, mentioned that he (and several UT fans) thought that the refs had been in TCU's corner all night. That there were some blatant holding calls against TCU that went uncalled.
And I think it's funny because of the way most people watch football. I think most people watch the quarterback and skill positions while their team is on offense, and they watch the lines while their team is on defense. It makes sense to watch the ball when your team can score and to watch the pass rushers when the other team can. Because you're looking for points on one end and sacks on the other (until the ball goes in the air, then you're worried about interceptions).
So, yeah, you're going to notice a lot of holding on one end. And almost none on the other. So I think it's not as much homerism as it is perspective. But I'm sure homerism has a lot to do with it.
And looking at UT fans, the Austin newspaper, and even talking to Tucker....I got the idea that Longhorn fans thought they lost more than TCU won. That their gameplan was sloppy or that the players didn't execute in the way they wanted.
And I think this is something else that's natural about watching football. I think we always think that the other team played the only way they could. Whenever we talk about "monday morning quarterback" stuff, we always change our team's variables. "If we only ran the ball more" or "If our defense would've done this" or stuff like that. We always keep the other team's variables the same. If Texas ran the ball more, TCU wouldn't have adjusted and Texas would've won.
I do it too. When my team loses, I think of the handful of plays that would've made the difference and change it up. I never give the opposing team credit for beating us - it's always something that we did wrong. Because, even when my team is terrible, my team should always win.
No matter what, TCU got the win. And it was cool to go into that stadium (which is great, by the way - maybe the best football stadium I've been to - especially at night with the Austin skyline in the background) and get a win. Especially in our first Big 12 try on national television.
And I'm really proud of my boys this year. Despite losing their starting QB, their top two running backs, and playing 17 true freshman, the team is 4-4 in conference and 7-4 overall. They're actually winless at home in conference, meaning they went 4-1 on the road in their first year in the Big 12. With a freshman at quarterback.
And, ironically, the team reminds me a lot of Texas last year. A strong but really young defense. Freshman quarterback with a lot of weapons that can grow together. Fighting hard and winning games they shouldn't.
A lot of fans told me before the season that Texas would win 10 this year and then be the favorites for the national championship next year. But they regressed this year, especially on defense. They've been forced to rely on Johnathan Gray a lot more, making their three-headed running game a bit more one-dimensional. Ash hasn't looked great in a lot of games.
So while the future looks bright for TCU, we have to be careful. Our kids need to keep growing and learning. No sophomore slumps. And our veterans need to step up.
We ended the night going out in Austin, which was cool. Austin can be a really fun place, and I'm glad we got to spend some time experiencing the local nightlife. I even had a locally brewed beer that was pretty solid.
All in all, it was an awesome trip. It's been a strange season for TCU, but that one night definitely makes it a memorable one.
And then there was playing Texas. In Austin. On Thanksgiving Night.
That's a tough task to ask for a lot of people. Thanksgiving is about family for many. Getting together and eating ridiculous amounts of poultry. But family has never been that big for me. Not unimportant. Just not big. We don't have much extended family that we deal with, and my sister just started her own family. Thanksgiving night would mean going with my mother to a family friend's house. Which is nice. But give me TCU.
I do like some of the pomp and circumstance (read: FOOD!) surrounding Thanksgiving so I jumped at the chance when I saw that TCU's alumni association was throwing a fancy (expensive) lunch. But it would have turkey and dressing and all the deserts....so it would feel like Thanksgiving before the big game.
Joining me on this voyage was Ashley, along with our friends Ryan and Carrie. We traveled separately but spent the rest of the time together. Ash and I decided to travel down Thursday morning and spend the night, coming back Friday. I drove. Now, I hate driving, but Ashley's truck has been in the shop for about a year and a half now. So it was on me - and it meant that I got control of the satellite radio the whole time....so that's not too bad. And we actually made really good time - no traffic at all.
Breakfast was a different matter. Going up to Oklahoma State, our little group had breakfast at the crack of dawn at Cindi's, and I thought that would be a good plan this time. And it was our plan all the way up until Thanksgiving morning. As we were walking over there, I had a thought that hadn't occurred to any of us.
What if Cindi's, for some crazy reason, decided not to be open on Thanksgiving. And, of course, they weren't. So our epic Thanksgiving began with a simple breakfast at Starbuck's.
We get to Austin, get back with our friends, and head to the fancy lunch. We parked in downtown Austin, and we found a lot right next to the hotel. Great. It's $10, and we're in spot 9. $10. Spot 9. But all the talk of $10 parking made Ryan a bit confused, and he prompted to put his 10 dollars in the slot of Spot 10. I was the only one that noticed, but it was too late. So the parking guys get free money, and we paid $20. Oops.
The lunch was really nice. Really good food, and it was pretty nice to hang out with fellow TCU people. A family was sitting next to us, and they were pretty nice. After that, we headed to a beer garden to watch some of the Lions/Texans game. There was a lot of burnt orange, but there was also a surprising bit of purple in the sea. And despite being draped in purple, I didn't hear much from anyone.
Being an away fan at a game is always weird. When I'm at a home game for any of my teams, I always look at the visiting fans with a bit of curiosity. As a kid, I always wondered what kind of person would grow up cheering for the Royals or the Cardinals, not quite being able to connect in my head that sports is usually 99% about geography and not choice.
College is a bit different because there's more choice involved. But I still look at it the same way. My team is the correct choice, and the other people are the oddity. There's just a lot more of them this time. But even at the game, it's very strange to have something bad happen for my team....and everyone cheers. Even the PA announcer seems excited. Very odd to me, even though it should be something simple.
After a while, we headed to the official Austin TCU Alumni tailgate. They had free food and drinks, and it was right next to the stadium. I was hoping to be able to watch some of the Cowboy game, and they did have a TV set up. It was actually set up in a Texas tailgate right next door, but they didn't seem to mind., Most of the others in our group went and hung out to the side, but I decided to torture myself and watch the Cowboys.
The Cowboys are a blog to their own, even in these times when I'm blogging once a month. I even started one that I might finish sometime. But the short story is that I have to watch the Cowboys. Whether I believe they'll win or whether I think they're good. Even if I believe they're trying or not (usually, if I don't think the team cares, I don't care).
Luckily, the game was interrupted with an unexpected visit from the TCU band, cheerleaders, showgirls, and SuperFrog. A couple of the baton twirlers even showed up (side story - one of the baton twirlers was way too skinny. And if you know me, that means a lot). That was pretty cool, and I thought it was nice of the nearby Texas fans to let us have our fun. They simply put their horns up and let us do our thing. It was a nice little moment for us.
So I watched as much of the Cowboy game as I could, either because they were awful to watch or because I was watching a relatively tiny TV from a safe-enough distance. But as the game hit halftime, the sun began to go down, and the excitement began to build, I started focusing a bit more on the Frogs. Plus, the Cowboys were down 28-3.
We got inside the stadium, and thankfully, we were in the visitor's section. It's always pretty fun to be in the visitor's section as you try and be the David to the rest of the stadium's Goliath. I know how much it sucks to have the visitors' cheers drown out the home cheers, and this is our chance to get payback. It always seems like we're really loud, but I always make sure to check with the TV broadcast for verification.
TCU started the game off pretty well with an interception and a nice little drive down the field. Our side chanted "T-C-U!" after every first down, and I started wondering if the Texas fans thought we were insane. You don't typically hear chants that often or that early, but then I remembered that these are the fans that have to deal with Oklahoma constantly playing Boomer Sooner after every two yard draw to the left.
TCU took the lead, and every time Texas looked in position to score, David Ash would make a mistake. There was a kid (who could've been anywhere from 15 to 21...everyone looks young to me now) in front of us who was cheering for Texas, and he got really excited whenever anything would happen. Every time a Texas player got into the open field, it was a definite touchdown, and he jumped up when anything happened. He chanted and cheered and held his horns up. I was thinking it was going to be annoying in our little purple haven, but it didn't really bother me as much as I though it would. I understood.
And TCU ended up holding on and winning. The game got interesting down the stretch, as we felt that the refs tried to keep Texas in the game with some favorable calls for the Longhorns. But Case McCoy made a terrible decision, and the Frogs came out on top.
The following day, I talked to Tucker about the game. Tucker's a big UT guy, and this is the one game every year where we're each going to be biased about our teams.
And there's something about football, particularly with two people that are really excited about their teams, that is really interesting to me. They say that there's holding on every play in football, and that the officials need to be smart about when to call it. So it's no surprise that both sides of fans always complain about holding. I mentioned three (to us) obvious holding penalties on Texas' TD-scoring drive that went uncalled, followed by a holding call against TCU on their next offensive drive. It seemed like the refs were letting Texas hold, while making a call on TCU (on a play that might have put the game away without giving Texas one more shot to tie) to extend the game.
Tucker, then, mentioned that he (and several UT fans) thought that the refs had been in TCU's corner all night. That there were some blatant holding calls against TCU that went uncalled.
And I think it's funny because of the way most people watch football. I think most people watch the quarterback and skill positions while their team is on offense, and they watch the lines while their team is on defense. It makes sense to watch the ball when your team can score and to watch the pass rushers when the other team can. Because you're looking for points on one end and sacks on the other (until the ball goes in the air, then you're worried about interceptions).
So, yeah, you're going to notice a lot of holding on one end. And almost none on the other. So I think it's not as much homerism as it is perspective. But I'm sure homerism has a lot to do with it.
And looking at UT fans, the Austin newspaper, and even talking to Tucker....I got the idea that Longhorn fans thought they lost more than TCU won. That their gameplan was sloppy or that the players didn't execute in the way they wanted.
And I think this is something else that's natural about watching football. I think we always think that the other team played the only way they could. Whenever we talk about "monday morning quarterback" stuff, we always change our team's variables. "If we only ran the ball more" or "If our defense would've done this" or stuff like that. We always keep the other team's variables the same. If Texas ran the ball more, TCU wouldn't have adjusted and Texas would've won.
I do it too. When my team loses, I think of the handful of plays that would've made the difference and change it up. I never give the opposing team credit for beating us - it's always something that we did wrong. Because, even when my team is terrible, my team should always win.
No matter what, TCU got the win. And it was cool to go into that stadium (which is great, by the way - maybe the best football stadium I've been to - especially at night with the Austin skyline in the background) and get a win. Especially in our first Big 12 try on national television.
And I'm really proud of my boys this year. Despite losing their starting QB, their top two running backs, and playing 17 true freshman, the team is 4-4 in conference and 7-4 overall. They're actually winless at home in conference, meaning they went 4-1 on the road in their first year in the Big 12. With a freshman at quarterback.
And, ironically, the team reminds me a lot of Texas last year. A strong but really young defense. Freshman quarterback with a lot of weapons that can grow together. Fighting hard and winning games they shouldn't.
A lot of fans told me before the season that Texas would win 10 this year and then be the favorites for the national championship next year. But they regressed this year, especially on defense. They've been forced to rely on Johnathan Gray a lot more, making their three-headed running game a bit more one-dimensional. Ash hasn't looked great in a lot of games.
So while the future looks bright for TCU, we have to be careful. Our kids need to keep growing and learning. No sophomore slumps. And our veterans need to step up.
We ended the night going out in Austin, which was cool. Austin can be a really fun place, and I'm glad we got to spend some time experiencing the local nightlife. I even had a locally brewed beer that was pretty solid.
All in all, it was an awesome trip. It's been a strange season for TCU, but that one night definitely makes it a memorable one.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Connection
I was introduced to a girl a couple of weeks ago. I met her for drinks on a Sunday, and we talked for a couple of hours. It went well. I wanted to see her again, and I asked her out. She said yes.
Our first date also went well. A bottle of wine. Delicious food. And conversation that filled another couple of hours. We talked about future dates. What we like. What we don't like. What makes us tick.
Again, going well.
A couple of days later, she comes up with an idea. Cirque du Soleil. She'd like to go - with me. A second date (third if the first meeting counts). I smile because it feels like something is building. This could be the start of something. We could look back on this, years later, and talk about our first dates. I could be living a story we would be telling for a long time. But that's a possible future- the present is too interesting to worry about it.
We go to the show. We have fun. It's nice.
I try to set up our next meeting. The first two went so well, there would have to be a third. I think back to things she said she'd like to do. Small keywords lead to grand ideas. Arboretum. Macaroni and Cheese. I'm planning. Scheming. Date three. Four. Five. Ten. Fifteen.
Silence.
No response for one day. Then a second. A phone call goes unanswered. Then the silence is broken with a statement. "I don't feel a connection. It's best to stop now."
Connection is a funny thing. When two people hold hands, a connection is made. One side feels it and the other side feels it. It's how almost every connection in the world works.
But not the heart. One side can feel a connection that the other side cannot feel. It's something that I've never really been able to understand. How can one person feel something when the other person feels nothing? How can one person cling on to something they feel is special, while the other person is comfortable letting go? How can something burn for someone with no effect on the other? How can "connection" be so one-sided?
In most ways, it's a good thing. From my experience, a quick, painful strike is much better than a slow one. And for most people, a connection cannot be created - it's there or it isn't. So if it isn't there, there is no point faking it..
But for now, it's sad. It's painful. But, mostly, it's confusing. Did I feel something? Or did I simply want to feel something? And, in the end, is there a difference?
Our first date also went well. A bottle of wine. Delicious food. And conversation that filled another couple of hours. We talked about future dates. What we like. What we don't like. What makes us tick.
Again, going well.
A couple of days later, she comes up with an idea. Cirque du Soleil. She'd like to go - with me. A second date (third if the first meeting counts). I smile because it feels like something is building. This could be the start of something. We could look back on this, years later, and talk about our first dates. I could be living a story we would be telling for a long time. But that's a possible future- the present is too interesting to worry about it.
We go to the show. We have fun. It's nice.
I try to set up our next meeting. The first two went so well, there would have to be a third. I think back to things she said she'd like to do. Small keywords lead to grand ideas. Arboretum. Macaroni and Cheese. I'm planning. Scheming. Date three. Four. Five. Ten. Fifteen.
Silence.
No response for one day. Then a second. A phone call goes unanswered. Then the silence is broken with a statement. "I don't feel a connection. It's best to stop now."
Connection is a funny thing. When two people hold hands, a connection is made. One side feels it and the other side feels it. It's how almost every connection in the world works.
But not the heart. One side can feel a connection that the other side cannot feel. It's something that I've never really been able to understand. How can one person feel something when the other person feels nothing? How can one person cling on to something they feel is special, while the other person is comfortable letting go? How can something burn for someone with no effect on the other? How can "connection" be so one-sided?
In most ways, it's a good thing. From my experience, a quick, painful strike is much better than a slow one. And for most people, a connection cannot be created - it's there or it isn't. So if it isn't there, there is no point faking it..
But for now, it's sad. It's painful. But, mostly, it's confusing. Did I feel something? Or did I simply want to feel something? And, in the end, is there a difference?
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Josh Hamilton
Thursday October 27, 2011 - Josh Hamilton hits a 2-run home run in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. It gives the Texas Rangers a 9-7 lead and moves them three outs away from winning the World Series.
Tuesday May 8, 2012 - Josh Hamilton hits four home runs in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. Just a month into the season, he has 14 home runs, 36 RBIs, and is batting .406. He's openly regarded as the best player in baseball, and DFW cannot say enough positive things about the free-agent-to-be future hall of famer.
Friday October 5, 2012 - In what is widely accepted as his final at-bat as a Ranger, Josh Hamilton strikes out for the second time in the AL's first Wild Card playoff matchup. In front of his home fans, Hamilton walks back to the dugout to a chorus of boos.
What happened in the last year? How could things go so horribly wrong for an athlete who should've had a blank check for the rest of his career? How does a guy who should be a World Series hero get booed off the field in a home playoff game?
It's a longer story than you would think. But the simplest answer is - "Because he's Josh Hamilton."
First of all, as we all know, the Rangers didn't win that game on October 27. Darren Oliver had two amazing things happen after Hamilton's home run - he somehow blew a save opportunity against two terrible hitters and a pitcher that had to bat - and he walked away from this experience without anyone saying a word. He blew a ridiculously easy situation and walked away without a scratch.
Which is strange because it completely altered Josh Hamilton's legacy. Not just as a Texas Ranger but as a baseball player in general. Singular moments like that don't happen very often in baseball. A home run to win a World Series. It's the stuff of legends. Josh would've been immortalized forever - not just in this town but everywhere that baseball is separated.
Darren Oliver blows it, and Josh's home run is forgotten.
Flash forward a few months, and Josh Hamilton has an incident with a "very average girl" in a Sherlock's Pub. He drank alcohol, and he allegedly had sex in the bathroom with some random woman. He apologized for his behavior, but he lost a lot of faith from fans. He was the squeaky-clean man of God who suddenly looked like a drug addict again.
But the thing that was the worst was the way he reacted. The fans tried to surround Josh with love, but he didn't really repay that love. We all figured that if there was a place that Josh Hamilton needed to be, it was Texas. It's a conservative (and mostly Christian) community that respects Josh's faith and family. We want to forgive him, and we want him to succeed. If any baseball player in the history of the world was going to give a hometown discount to a team, it was Josh.
Except that he said the complete opposite. That he didn't owe the organization anything. That if the Texas Rangers wanted to sign Josh, they were going to have to give him the big bucks just like any other team.
It wasn't what we wanted to hear, and it was so far in the other direction that it sounded like someone else. I wondered if it was the agent talking. Or maybe Josh simply isn't who we thought he was.
Josh got through it and started playing baseball. And he was the best player in baseball. The four homer night on May 8 was the pinnacle of an insane start to a season. He could do no wrong, and the Rangers looked like a dominant team. People were calling them one of the best teams ever. One of the most complete teams ever. A unanimous favorite to get back to the World Series for a third straight year.
Then the slump happened. And man did it happen. May 8 was the 30th game of the season. 132 games later, Josh ended up with 43 HRs and 128 RBIs. Incredible numbers. MVP type numbers. But nowhere near the pace he'd previously been on. And his average dropped all the way to .285. Hitting over .400 probably wasn't going to happen, but it was basically unthinkable for Josh to hit less than .300 for the season after the start he had. Slumps like that don't happen.
But this is Josh Hamilton.
Josh missed time because he drank too much caffeine and his eyes dried out. He blamed his slump on an addiction to chewing tobacco. And after a multi-month slump and a team shipwrecking, Josh made a gigantic mental error in the field in the biggest game of the season. In a 5-5 game that was going to decide the AL West championship, Josh Hamilton didn't catch a routine pop-up.
Maybe he lost it in the sun. Maybe he just wasn't focused. Maybe he was thinking about all the money he was going to make somewhere. It doesn't matter. It was a ball that every baseball player in the world could've made. And a Hall of Famer always makes. And he didn't do it.
And people were pissed. It was enough to burn through the rest of Josh's credibility in this town. And let me remind you that Josh had hit a HR less than a year earlier that should've won the World Series. If Darren Oliver finishes off the easiest save of his life, Josh Hamilton would never be booed in Arlington ever again. You don't boo heroes.
But Josh wasn't a hero anymore. In less than a year, he'd become a goat. And fans in Texas were tired of him.
I was at the game. I didn't boo Josh. But I understood why people did. For the first time in his career, Josh's effort was questioned. It wasn't the dropped ball in Oakland. Not just that, at least. Months of horrible at-bats and terrible performances had added up. And it was too much for a young fanbase that had taken too much psychological damage in the last couple of years.
They were done with their best hitter. The #3 guy in their lineup. Maybe the best player in franchise history. He was going to walk away, and they were going to let him. And they showed their displeasure in the only way they knew how.
I wish it didn't end this way. I wish Josh could've received the standing ovation that, honestly, he deserved. In five years, Josh Hamilton helped put the Rangers on the map. For forty years, the franchise did nothing. Then Josh Hamilton shows up, and the Rangers become a contender. Back-to-back trips to the World Series and favorite to win the division. One of the best teams in baseball and one of the best franchises in all of sports.
Josh Hamilton's journey in Texas should've never included boos. It definitely shouldn't have ended with them. But it was a weird journey, and it's how it ended.
Josh will go somewhere else next year. Some team will see the numbers and the highlights and pay him hundreds of millions of dollars. And at times, it will seem like a bargain. And at other times, it will be the worst contract in baseball. Never before has a baseball player been so good at times and so awful at others. But we're also talking about a player who is always one drink away from becoming an addict again. A person with such an addictive personality that he hurts his eyes with too much caffeine and an addiction to tobacco causes a year-long slump.
I wish Josh well. He's been one of the franchise's best players for a really long time. He's been a fan favorite from the second he arrived. What he's done for the Texas Rangers can never be forgotten. But, as a fan, I'm ready to see him go. I'm tired of the excuses, and I'm tired of the inconsistency. If Josh Hamilton would play to his potential every game, the sky would be the limit for the man. He could ask for almost any amount of money, and it would be very hard to overpay him.
But something keeps him from reaching that level on a regular basis. Something always happens, in or out of baseball, to distract him. To keep him from being the player he's capable of being. Which is probably why Josh's journey is always going to be a tragedy. Romeo can't end up with the girl because his destiny is not to be happy. Maybe Josh's life is just a lesson for the rest of us.
I wish Oliver had finished that game out. I wish Josh would've been carried on the shoulders of this city for the rest of his life. I wish we would've poured so much love onto the man that the franchise would've been forced to pay him whatever he wanted. I wish the idea that letting Josh go would've been so laughable that we wouldn't even bring it up. I wish the story of Josh and the Texas Rangers would've had a happy ending. Everything was in place for it to happen.
But it didn't. Less than a year from his should've-been-epic home run, Josh finally ran out of his fans' patience. And his time here is done. No ring, no love, no glory. Three strikes and he's out.
And it's weird to say it, but I'm okay with it. Almost 50,000 fans tonight were okay with it. Most Ranger fans are okay with it. He's still 31, coming of a year where he put up MVP numbers. With no replacement in site - possibly no replacement existing at all.
But we're okay with it.
Goodbye, Josh. I'm sorry, but this is the way it had to end.
Tuesday May 8, 2012 - Josh Hamilton hits four home runs in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. Just a month into the season, he has 14 home runs, 36 RBIs, and is batting .406. He's openly regarded as the best player in baseball, and DFW cannot say enough positive things about the free-agent-to-be future hall of famer.
Friday October 5, 2012 - In what is widely accepted as his final at-bat as a Ranger, Josh Hamilton strikes out for the second time in the AL's first Wild Card playoff matchup. In front of his home fans, Hamilton walks back to the dugout to a chorus of boos.
What happened in the last year? How could things go so horribly wrong for an athlete who should've had a blank check for the rest of his career? How does a guy who should be a World Series hero get booed off the field in a home playoff game?
It's a longer story than you would think. But the simplest answer is - "Because he's Josh Hamilton."
First of all, as we all know, the Rangers didn't win that game on October 27. Darren Oliver had two amazing things happen after Hamilton's home run - he somehow blew a save opportunity against two terrible hitters and a pitcher that had to bat - and he walked away from this experience without anyone saying a word. He blew a ridiculously easy situation and walked away without a scratch.
Which is strange because it completely altered Josh Hamilton's legacy. Not just as a Texas Ranger but as a baseball player in general. Singular moments like that don't happen very often in baseball. A home run to win a World Series. It's the stuff of legends. Josh would've been immortalized forever - not just in this town but everywhere that baseball is separated.
Darren Oliver blows it, and Josh's home run is forgotten.
Flash forward a few months, and Josh Hamilton has an incident with a "very average girl" in a Sherlock's Pub. He drank alcohol, and he allegedly had sex in the bathroom with some random woman. He apologized for his behavior, but he lost a lot of faith from fans. He was the squeaky-clean man of God who suddenly looked like a drug addict again.
But the thing that was the worst was the way he reacted. The fans tried to surround Josh with love, but he didn't really repay that love. We all figured that if there was a place that Josh Hamilton needed to be, it was Texas. It's a conservative (and mostly Christian) community that respects Josh's faith and family. We want to forgive him, and we want him to succeed. If any baseball player in the history of the world was going to give a hometown discount to a team, it was Josh.
Except that he said the complete opposite. That he didn't owe the organization anything. That if the Texas Rangers wanted to sign Josh, they were going to have to give him the big bucks just like any other team.
It wasn't what we wanted to hear, and it was so far in the other direction that it sounded like someone else. I wondered if it was the agent talking. Or maybe Josh simply isn't who we thought he was.
Josh got through it and started playing baseball. And he was the best player in baseball. The four homer night on May 8 was the pinnacle of an insane start to a season. He could do no wrong, and the Rangers looked like a dominant team. People were calling them one of the best teams ever. One of the most complete teams ever. A unanimous favorite to get back to the World Series for a third straight year.
Then the slump happened. And man did it happen. May 8 was the 30th game of the season. 132 games later, Josh ended up with 43 HRs and 128 RBIs. Incredible numbers. MVP type numbers. But nowhere near the pace he'd previously been on. And his average dropped all the way to .285. Hitting over .400 probably wasn't going to happen, but it was basically unthinkable for Josh to hit less than .300 for the season after the start he had. Slumps like that don't happen.
But this is Josh Hamilton.
Josh missed time because he drank too much caffeine and his eyes dried out. He blamed his slump on an addiction to chewing tobacco. And after a multi-month slump and a team shipwrecking, Josh made a gigantic mental error in the field in the biggest game of the season. In a 5-5 game that was going to decide the AL West championship, Josh Hamilton didn't catch a routine pop-up.
Maybe he lost it in the sun. Maybe he just wasn't focused. Maybe he was thinking about all the money he was going to make somewhere. It doesn't matter. It was a ball that every baseball player in the world could've made. And a Hall of Famer always makes. And he didn't do it.
And people were pissed. It was enough to burn through the rest of Josh's credibility in this town. And let me remind you that Josh had hit a HR less than a year earlier that should've won the World Series. If Darren Oliver finishes off the easiest save of his life, Josh Hamilton would never be booed in Arlington ever again. You don't boo heroes.
But Josh wasn't a hero anymore. In less than a year, he'd become a goat. And fans in Texas were tired of him.
I was at the game. I didn't boo Josh. But I understood why people did. For the first time in his career, Josh's effort was questioned. It wasn't the dropped ball in Oakland. Not just that, at least. Months of horrible at-bats and terrible performances had added up. And it was too much for a young fanbase that had taken too much psychological damage in the last couple of years.
They were done with their best hitter. The #3 guy in their lineup. Maybe the best player in franchise history. He was going to walk away, and they were going to let him. And they showed their displeasure in the only way they knew how.
I wish it didn't end this way. I wish Josh could've received the standing ovation that, honestly, he deserved. In five years, Josh Hamilton helped put the Rangers on the map. For forty years, the franchise did nothing. Then Josh Hamilton shows up, and the Rangers become a contender. Back-to-back trips to the World Series and favorite to win the division. One of the best teams in baseball and one of the best franchises in all of sports.
Josh Hamilton's journey in Texas should've never included boos. It definitely shouldn't have ended with them. But it was a weird journey, and it's how it ended.
Josh will go somewhere else next year. Some team will see the numbers and the highlights and pay him hundreds of millions of dollars. And at times, it will seem like a bargain. And at other times, it will be the worst contract in baseball. Never before has a baseball player been so good at times and so awful at others. But we're also talking about a player who is always one drink away from becoming an addict again. A person with such an addictive personality that he hurts his eyes with too much caffeine and an addiction to tobacco causes a year-long slump.
I wish Josh well. He's been one of the franchise's best players for a really long time. He's been a fan favorite from the second he arrived. What he's done for the Texas Rangers can never be forgotten. But, as a fan, I'm ready to see him go. I'm tired of the excuses, and I'm tired of the inconsistency. If Josh Hamilton would play to his potential every game, the sky would be the limit for the man. He could ask for almost any amount of money, and it would be very hard to overpay him.
But something keeps him from reaching that level on a regular basis. Something always happens, in or out of baseball, to distract him. To keep him from being the player he's capable of being. Which is probably why Josh's journey is always going to be a tragedy. Romeo can't end up with the girl because his destiny is not to be happy. Maybe Josh's life is just a lesson for the rest of us.
I wish Oliver had finished that game out. I wish Josh would've been carried on the shoulders of this city for the rest of his life. I wish we would've poured so much love onto the man that the franchise would've been forced to pay him whatever he wanted. I wish the idea that letting Josh go would've been so laughable that we wouldn't even bring it up. I wish the story of Josh and the Texas Rangers would've had a happy ending. Everything was in place for it to happen.
But it didn't. Less than a year from his should've-been-epic home run, Josh finally ran out of his fans' patience. And his time here is done. No ring, no love, no glory. Three strikes and he's out.
And it's weird to say it, but I'm okay with it. Almost 50,000 fans tonight were okay with it. Most Ranger fans are okay with it. He's still 31, coming of a year where he put up MVP numbers. With no replacement in site - possibly no replacement existing at all.
But we're okay with it.
Goodbye, Josh. I'm sorry, but this is the way it had to end.
Monday, September 24, 2012
A Unique Football Experience
I got a call from my grandfather on Friday with an odd question. "I have an extra ticket in (his boss') suite for the Cowboys' game. Would you like to go?"
What kind of question is that? Of course I want to go. People that have never heard of football want to go to Cowboys Stadium. Let alone in a suite.
There were two caveats. One, I had to drive. Two, I had to wear a sport coat because the suite has a dress code. Again, not an issue. I would've ridden to the stadium on a kid's bike in a gorilla costume for the chance to see what a Cowboys' luxury suite looks like.
So I drive us (my grandfather and uncle are with me) to the game. We get there around 11am for the noon kickoff, but there's about 50 minutes of traffic around the stadium. No worries, my grandfather says, because our parking pass is right in front of the stadium.
And he was right. Our parking spot was literally ten feet from the wall of the stadium. We got out of the car, and we were immediately on the stadium sidewalk. It was insane. Of course, my poor Altima was surrounded by Bentleys, Mercedes, and other luxury cars. I'm sure they wondered why the Hell it was even there, and I'm glad it wasn't simply towed on principle.
So the car went through security. Then I went through security. Then I had to show my ticket to three different people to get through various gatekeepers before I arrived in the Owner's Club area. I'm sure the people inside this area were all multimillionaires. And I work a 8-5 job at JPMorgan, even if I was wearing a nice Jos. A Bank sport coat.
But the "welcoming area" is this gigantic dining area with all kinds of food. Prime rib. Chicken and Waffles. Ham. Bacon. Turkey. An omelette station. Meatballs. Little sandwiches. And some of the best damn macaroni and cheese I've ever had. Apparently it all switched after halftime, but I didn't know that so I didn't have any room for anything else.
Oh, and the suite had some food too. Just jumbo shrimp cocktail and some pretty awesome chips and queso. Just snacks, I guess. And then the suite had every kind of drink you could imagine. Beer. Wine. Soda. Water. Liquor. Everyone had a bloody mary or a glass of wine or a pepsi. And it seemed endless.
The suite itself wasn't any larger than a suite at the American Airlines Center. And the view was pretty solid. We were over to the side a bit, but you could see everything without relying on the scoreboard too much.
The game itself sucked. Nothing exciting, and both offenses really struggled with penalties and ineffectiveness. Of course, one of the big things about sitting in a suite is that it's hard to really cheer. You're usually sitting with older people who aren't the kind of rowdy fans that I'm used to sitting with. So something happens and you kinda clap like a good golf shot was just hit.
And the way we did it was a bit strange. Despite the close parking, we arrived about three minutes into the game (Tony had already thrown an interception). Then, we sat and watched a couple series before my grandfather wanted to go eat. And even though you can bring food back, we just sat and ate in the dining area. There were TVs and audio in the room, but it was a bit weird to watch a game on TV when I'm in the stadium. I also thought it was weird to watch football while eating prime rib.
In the 4th quarter, the Cowboys were lining up for a field goal to go up 16-7 with a couple minutes left. My grandfather decides it's time to leave and beat the traffic. I'm not going to disagree with anything he says on this trip so I allow it. We leave with two minutes (which ended up being pretty exciting from what I could hear on the radio) and beat traffic home. We did make good time, but it was very strange to leave a game early.
So we arrived late. Missed a touchdown because we were eating in a dining area. And left early. As far as football goes, it was pretty bad. But as far as the experience goes, it was pretty cool. Not something I would like to do on a regular basis, but I can definitely see the allure of buying one of these boxes if you have a crazy amount of money.
If only we could get somepitching blocking in here.
What kind of question is that? Of course I want to go. People that have never heard of football want to go to Cowboys Stadium. Let alone in a suite.
There were two caveats. One, I had to drive. Two, I had to wear a sport coat because the suite has a dress code. Again, not an issue. I would've ridden to the stadium on a kid's bike in a gorilla costume for the chance to see what a Cowboys' luxury suite looks like.
So I drive us (my grandfather and uncle are with me) to the game. We get there around 11am for the noon kickoff, but there's about 50 minutes of traffic around the stadium. No worries, my grandfather says, because our parking pass is right in front of the stadium.
And he was right. Our parking spot was literally ten feet from the wall of the stadium. We got out of the car, and we were immediately on the stadium sidewalk. It was insane. Of course, my poor Altima was surrounded by Bentleys, Mercedes, and other luxury cars. I'm sure they wondered why the Hell it was even there, and I'm glad it wasn't simply towed on principle.
So the car went through security. Then I went through security. Then I had to show my ticket to three different people to get through various gatekeepers before I arrived in the Owner's Club area. I'm sure the people inside this area were all multimillionaires. And I work a 8-5 job at JPMorgan, even if I was wearing a nice Jos. A Bank sport coat.
But the "welcoming area" is this gigantic dining area with all kinds of food. Prime rib. Chicken and Waffles. Ham. Bacon. Turkey. An omelette station. Meatballs. Little sandwiches. And some of the best damn macaroni and cheese I've ever had. Apparently it all switched after halftime, but I didn't know that so I didn't have any room for anything else.
Oh, and the suite had some food too. Just jumbo shrimp cocktail and some pretty awesome chips and queso. Just snacks, I guess. And then the suite had every kind of drink you could imagine. Beer. Wine. Soda. Water. Liquor. Everyone had a bloody mary or a glass of wine or a pepsi. And it seemed endless.
The suite itself wasn't any larger than a suite at the American Airlines Center. And the view was pretty solid. We were over to the side a bit, but you could see everything without relying on the scoreboard too much.
The game itself sucked. Nothing exciting, and both offenses really struggled with penalties and ineffectiveness. Of course, one of the big things about sitting in a suite is that it's hard to really cheer. You're usually sitting with older people who aren't the kind of rowdy fans that I'm used to sitting with. So something happens and you kinda clap like a good golf shot was just hit.
And the way we did it was a bit strange. Despite the close parking, we arrived about three minutes into the game (Tony had already thrown an interception). Then, we sat and watched a couple series before my grandfather wanted to go eat. And even though you can bring food back, we just sat and ate in the dining area. There were TVs and audio in the room, but it was a bit weird to watch a game on TV when I'm in the stadium. I also thought it was weird to watch football while eating prime rib.
In the 4th quarter, the Cowboys were lining up for a field goal to go up 16-7 with a couple minutes left. My grandfather decides it's time to leave and beat the traffic. I'm not going to disagree with anything he says on this trip so I allow it. We leave with two minutes (which ended up being pretty exciting from what I could hear on the radio) and beat traffic home. We did make good time, but it was very strange to leave a game early.
So we arrived late. Missed a touchdown because we were eating in a dining area. And left early. As far as football goes, it was pretty bad. But as far as the experience goes, it was pretty cool. Not something I would like to do on a regular basis, but I can definitely see the allure of buying one of these boxes if you have a crazy amount of money.
If only we could get some
Sunday, August 12, 2012
2012: The Race to Suck Less
Negative political campaigns bother me. Only slightly more than positive political campaigns, but that's another matter. Negative campaigns are bad because they leave the voter feeling indifferent.
The following skit is not related to any politicians living or dead. Any similarities are coincidental.
Politician A - "Don't vote for Politician B! He's terrible with the economy! Taxes were high, unemployment skyrocketed, and gasoline prices went way up!"
Voter - "Holy crap, I can't vote for Politician B! I like a good economy, I hate paying taxes, I don't want to lose my job, and I hate paying more at the pump! I'm going to vote for Politician A!"
Politician B - "Don't vote for Politician A! He has a terrible track record in foreign policy! If he's elected, foreign governments will invade your homes, and terrorists will successfully blow you up!"
Voter - "Blow me up? I can't vote for Politician A! I guess safety is more important than money. I'll vote for Politician B, I guess."
Politician A - "But you can't vote for Politician B! He voted against health care reform. If he's elected and you have to go to the hospital, you'll either pay a billion dollars or die!"
Voter - "I don't have a billion dollars. So I'll die either way? I guess I'll vote for..."
Politician B - "But your children will die if Politician A is elected! He's voted to cut funding to schools, and he wants your children to become homeless urchins, wandering the streets doing drugs in gangs!"
Voter - "A gang of urchins? This is ridiculous. Neither one of you is qualified, apparently. I'm just not going to vote. Screw everything."
And...scene.
If both campaigns are strictly negative, you don't ever get confidence in any candidate. And that's what we have so far. I know I can't vote for Romney because he's a Mormon flip-flopper who wants to help the rich. And I can't vote for Obama because he doesn't do anything but play golf and he wants to bankrupt the country with billions of handouts.
Would you rather drown or die in a fire?
I understand the need to point out an opposing candidates flaws. If a candidate is a convicted rapist, I want to know about it. If he's voted to hand the country over to anarchists, I want to know about it. If he was in the KKK for the entire 90s, I want to know about it. These things are important, and they will help me make my decision.
But every once in a while, don't you want to mix in something good about yourself?
So far, I've heard a lot of bad things about both candidates. Republicans can't stop talking about how Obama isn't doing anything. Also, that he's doing really bad things. And Democrats can't stop talking about how Romney is a psychopath who will end up destroying the middle class. This stuff is coming from random people on facebook/twitter but also from the campaigns themselves.
When I see something political, it's almost always something negative about the other party. Never anything positive about their own guy.
And it's because neither party really likes their guy. Republicans hate Obama, and they're willing to vote for just about anyone. They're not excited about Romney, but he's the best they have right now. A lot like Kerry in 2004. Democrats are disenchanted by Obama, but they all seem to be in "trust the devil you know, not the devil you don't know" mode.
Ummm...why do I want to vote for a devil at all?
Now, I'm one of the few people that doesn't really think the man sitting in the White House will affect my daily life. Life under Obama isn't that different from life under Bush. Or Clinton. Because, at the end of the day, the president doesn't do much. And can't do much. Our government is so focused on hating the other side that we don't get anything done. So we could elect a beagle to the White House, and not much would change.
I also know that neither candidate is 100% evil. Obama hasn't fulfilled his promise of hope and change, but what were we expecting? In his first term, the country didn't fall apart - and that's all I really ask of the president these days. He tried something with the health care reform, and he passed through some legislation. He had some messes that he inherited, and I think he's done okay. He's an average president, and that's okay.
But you never hear about his successes from the Democrats. Almost everything they say is about Romney.
Romney isn't crazy. He's been successful in the private sector, and there's no reason to think that he can't translate that success to the government. And there are certainly areas that he's strong in.
But you don't hear about them from the Republicans. All they talk about is Obama.
If your guy is the right guy, tell me about him. Tell me about what Obama has done and what he hopes to do in a second term. Tell me about what Romney would do differently, and how his past experiences would help in the future. That's what I want to hear.
Because when all I hear is negative, I walk into the booth trying to decide between the lesser of two evils. If I only hear positive, I pick my favorite, and I feel pretty good either way.
Ashley and I were talking, and we decided that there needs to be a "positive debate" in every election. In this debate, each candidate is only allowed to speak about themselves. They are not allowed to speak about their opponent. The moderator will give each candidate a topic, and the candidate is allowed to speak as long as they would like.
"In what ways are you a good candidate in regards to (issue)?"
They can talk about whatever they like. Prior experience. Relevant education. Friends or colleagues that would be helpful. Whatever. And as they talk, fact checkers would figure out if any facts are true. If you say that unemployment fell 20% and it fell 18%, you're fine.
But if it rose 10%, you get a strike. If you get three strikes in the debate, you're done. And the other person gets to keep going. Lie three times in the first question, and the other guy gets to talk as long as he wants for the rest of the evening. As long as he tells the truth.
If you don't have anything to say, you don't have to say anything. If you're lacking foreign policy experience, talk about what you'd do. Who you would trust. Who you would talk with. Be honest. And make up for it in other areas. If you're a whiz with the economy, talk all you want about how great you'd be. If you can talk for 20 minutes about how great you'd be with the economy, I'll listen to the whole thing.
But I bet the debates will be much like the early parts of the campaigns.
"How are you with the economy?"
"I'll tell you who's not good with the economy. My opponent. He..."
And that's not what I want to hear. Stop talking about the other guy. If he's an idiot, we'll find out. If he's unqualified, we'll find out. Let the (legitimate) media track down the skeletons in the other guy's closet. You should focus on your own campaign.
Because last time, I voted for Obama, but I knew that McCain would've done just as well. This time, I have a feeling that I'm going to be depressed on election day no matter what. Because after ten months of mudslinging, I'm fairly certain that I'll be dead or dying months after either of these guys is elected.
The following skit is not related to any politicians living or dead. Any similarities are coincidental.
Politician A - "Don't vote for Politician B! He's terrible with the economy! Taxes were high, unemployment skyrocketed, and gasoline prices went way up!"
Voter - "Holy crap, I can't vote for Politician B! I like a good economy, I hate paying taxes, I don't want to lose my job, and I hate paying more at the pump! I'm going to vote for Politician A!"
Politician B - "Don't vote for Politician A! He has a terrible track record in foreign policy! If he's elected, foreign governments will invade your homes, and terrorists will successfully blow you up!"
Voter - "Blow me up? I can't vote for Politician A! I guess safety is more important than money. I'll vote for Politician B, I guess."
Politician A - "But you can't vote for Politician B! He voted against health care reform. If he's elected and you have to go to the hospital, you'll either pay a billion dollars or die!"
Voter - "I don't have a billion dollars. So I'll die either way? I guess I'll vote for..."
Politician B - "But your children will die if Politician A is elected! He's voted to cut funding to schools, and he wants your children to become homeless urchins, wandering the streets doing drugs in gangs!"
Voter - "A gang of urchins? This is ridiculous. Neither one of you is qualified, apparently. I'm just not going to vote. Screw everything."
And...scene.
If both campaigns are strictly negative, you don't ever get confidence in any candidate. And that's what we have so far. I know I can't vote for Romney because he's a Mormon flip-flopper who wants to help the rich. And I can't vote for Obama because he doesn't do anything but play golf and he wants to bankrupt the country with billions of handouts.
Would you rather drown or die in a fire?
I understand the need to point out an opposing candidates flaws. If a candidate is a convicted rapist, I want to know about it. If he's voted to hand the country over to anarchists, I want to know about it. If he was in the KKK for the entire 90s, I want to know about it. These things are important, and they will help me make my decision.
But every once in a while, don't you want to mix in something good about yourself?
So far, I've heard a lot of bad things about both candidates. Republicans can't stop talking about how Obama isn't doing anything. Also, that he's doing really bad things. And Democrats can't stop talking about how Romney is a psychopath who will end up destroying the middle class. This stuff is coming from random people on facebook/twitter but also from the campaigns themselves.
When I see something political, it's almost always something negative about the other party. Never anything positive about their own guy.
And it's because neither party really likes their guy. Republicans hate Obama, and they're willing to vote for just about anyone. They're not excited about Romney, but he's the best they have right now. A lot like Kerry in 2004. Democrats are disenchanted by Obama, but they all seem to be in "trust the devil you know, not the devil you don't know" mode.
Ummm...why do I want to vote for a devil at all?
Now, I'm one of the few people that doesn't really think the man sitting in the White House will affect my daily life. Life under Obama isn't that different from life under Bush. Or Clinton. Because, at the end of the day, the president doesn't do much. And can't do much. Our government is so focused on hating the other side that we don't get anything done. So we could elect a beagle to the White House, and not much would change.
I also know that neither candidate is 100% evil. Obama hasn't fulfilled his promise of hope and change, but what were we expecting? In his first term, the country didn't fall apart - and that's all I really ask of the president these days. He tried something with the health care reform, and he passed through some legislation. He had some messes that he inherited, and I think he's done okay. He's an average president, and that's okay.
But you never hear about his successes from the Democrats. Almost everything they say is about Romney.
Romney isn't crazy. He's been successful in the private sector, and there's no reason to think that he can't translate that success to the government. And there are certainly areas that he's strong in.
But you don't hear about them from the Republicans. All they talk about is Obama.
If your guy is the right guy, tell me about him. Tell me about what Obama has done and what he hopes to do in a second term. Tell me about what Romney would do differently, and how his past experiences would help in the future. That's what I want to hear.
Because when all I hear is negative, I walk into the booth trying to decide between the lesser of two evils. If I only hear positive, I pick my favorite, and I feel pretty good either way.
Ashley and I were talking, and we decided that there needs to be a "positive debate" in every election. In this debate, each candidate is only allowed to speak about themselves. They are not allowed to speak about their opponent. The moderator will give each candidate a topic, and the candidate is allowed to speak as long as they would like.
"In what ways are you a good candidate in regards to (issue)?"
They can talk about whatever they like. Prior experience. Relevant education. Friends or colleagues that would be helpful. Whatever. And as they talk, fact checkers would figure out if any facts are true. If you say that unemployment fell 20% and it fell 18%, you're fine.
But if it rose 10%, you get a strike. If you get three strikes in the debate, you're done. And the other person gets to keep going. Lie three times in the first question, and the other guy gets to talk as long as he wants for the rest of the evening. As long as he tells the truth.
If you don't have anything to say, you don't have to say anything. If you're lacking foreign policy experience, talk about what you'd do. Who you would trust. Who you would talk with. Be honest. And make up for it in other areas. If you're a whiz with the economy, talk all you want about how great you'd be. If you can talk for 20 minutes about how great you'd be with the economy, I'll listen to the whole thing.
But I bet the debates will be much like the early parts of the campaigns.
"How are you with the economy?"
"I'll tell you who's not good with the economy. My opponent. He..."
And that's not what I want to hear. Stop talking about the other guy. If he's an idiot, we'll find out. If he's unqualified, we'll find out. Let the (legitimate) media track down the skeletons in the other guy's closet. You should focus on your own campaign.
Because last time, I voted for Obama, but I knew that McCain would've done just as well. This time, I have a feeling that I'm going to be depressed on election day no matter what. Because after ten months of mudslinging, I'm fairly certain that I'll be dead or dying months after either of these guys is elected.
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