Category: Sports

A Season Ends Badly

Baseball

I’ve only been following Major League Baseball with any kind of close interest for the last few years. It started really with the Sosa/McGuire home run chase in 1998 (which in hindsight was likely a steroid fueled cheat), and has grown year by year as we follow the Cubs and see them when we can. This season, they sucked. And their win in today’s season-ender put them securely in last place in their division, without even the lowly Pirates to look down upon.

Yup, the Cubs really stunk it up this year. But at least they we’re not 100-game losers like the Royals!

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Dusty Does What He Must

Baseball, Politics

(Via Think Progress.)

Opening Day: The Making of a Presidential Photo-Op: “

This afternoon, President Bush was on hand to throw out the first pitch in Cincinnati as the hometown Reds took on the visiting Chicago Cubs. Before the game, President Bush had an encounter with Cubs manager Dusty Baker that was described by Michael Fletcher of the Washington Post in the White House pool report:

He greeted Cubs manager Dusty Baker with a handshake. ‘This is the year, right?’ Bush said, in what some in the pool thought as sarcasm directed at the team’s perennial pennant futility.

‘Dusty Baker, good to know you,’ POTUS continued, turning to the cameras. He held the grip and grinned as the cameras snapped away. ‘Smile,’ POTUS encouraged, and Baker complied, saying: ‘I’ll do what I got to do.’

And with a little cajoling, Bush got the photo-op he wanted:

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“

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Armchair Olympian

Sports

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I love the Olympics, summer and winter both. I love the way they bring the world together in the spirit of friendly sports and competition. During the games, I can watch obscure sports that would otherwise not be able to grab my attention for a moment, and there will be little else on our TV for the remaining ten days of competition.

And that’s my dilemma. Watching others compete actively in such a wide variety of events at the Winter Olympics in Torino (Turin in English), has my ass in a chair. Take last Sunday for example. I was up early after a late Saturday night, taking pictures from the snowstorm. I shoveled snow, watched my daughter go sledding, went to the store, enjoyed two dips in the hot tub. But by about three o’clock, when the braodcast of the games began, I was in my recliner with a bowl of chili on my belly. And except for refills, I stayed in that chair until I went to bed ten hours later at one o’clock in the morning.

For now I’ll blame the snow and my recovery from two actual visits to the gym last week (a New Year’s Resolution which is not yet dead). Regardless, I’m not missing the irony that watching others perform amazing athletic feats is giving me reason to be more sedentary that usual.

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Fantasy Football Fluke

Diversions, Sports

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I have participated in football pools for years. I’ve long been a football fan, but only by participating in a pool am I able to stay interested in what happens with every game each weekend. The friendly competition with others in the pool, and the random chance that the right picks could put some extra bucks in my pocket, greatly increases my enjoyment of football season.

I have never previously participated in a fantasy football leagues, but this year I found myself invited to join two different ones, and so I gave it a shot. In each case, my approach was based on my own cluelessness and an inactive approach towards trades and managing my bench. Rookie mistakes such as leaving players in my lineup during a ‘bye’ week reflected my ineptitude as a fantasy owner/coach.

I named my teams Old Guys Rule and the Montclair Mopes. I made a few good picks in the draft. I had #1 ranked Quarterback Carson Palmer leading the Old Guys, and Peyton Manning for the Mopes. But my key player was one I had on each of my teams, Kansas City running back Larry Johnson.

The Mopes went 7-6, and I made the playoffs as a wild card team. After two playoff victories, I found myself in the big game. And I made my fatal mistake in trying to coach. I benched some players in favor of some other newly acquired replacements, thinking I could improve my score. But my replacements choked, leaving me in second place where I would have won it all if I had stuck with my original starters. But the Old Guys did indeed Rule! With a 10-4 record on the season, the Old Guys rolled over most challengers, and we won the big game against the boss last week.

I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed these leagues. Where my regular pool peaks my interest in how each team does each week, the fantasy league created new interest in the performance of individual players. It got tricky sometimes. You might find yourself looking for a good performance from your Quarterback, but not wanting his receivers to do well. Regardless, it was fun and the fact that I did as well as I did my first time out was probably enough to hook me for seasons to come.

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Not *that* W!

News, Politics, Sports

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The Washington Post today had an article saying that some baseball fans of Washington’s new team, The Nationals, are choosing the alternate ‘DC’ logo hat rather than the standard ‘W’ logo version to avoid wearing the nickname of America’s worst President on their cap.

Nonsense I say!

When it comes to being a cap-wearing baseball fan, I’m pretty new to the club. And I’m a wishy-washy sort of fan who will swap caps as quickly as my whim suits me. The Cubs are hanging in at #1 on my noggin, and I got excited enough about the Red Sox amazing season last year to get a cap. But it’s hard not to root for the home team, especially when they’re winning, and so the Nats are climbing my list and I have a new Nats hat in my skull’s wardrobe. I wasn’t unaware that I’d be walking around with a ‘W’ on my head, but I won’t sacrifice a letter of the alphabet to that goof, never!

Certainly, years from now, right-wing revisionists will seek to rename the city of Washington after their ‘Dubya’, just as they renamed Washington National Airport for the Gipper. But today, anyone who looks at the red ‘W’ cap on my head and takes it as any indication of support for the President is stupider than he is. Besides, I’ve found my red hat opens doors with the red hat ladies!

In D.C., ‘W’ Spells More Than Baseball
Washington Post, 7/5/05

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