[NU Sports] Basketball

Tue Apr 1 15:11:24 CDT 2008

"Baseball is about blue skies, warm weather, endless days, a
well worn glove, and the feeling that you could play this game forever
and never get tired."

. . . which reminds me of the following story:

Two 90-year-old women, Rose and Barb, had been friends all of their lives.

When it was clear that Rose was dying, Barb said, "Rose, we both loved
playing softball. Please do me one favor; when you get to Heaven, let me
know if there's softball there."

Rose looked up at Barb from her deathbed and said, "Barb, if it's at all
possible, I'll do this favor for you." Shortly after that, she passed on.

At midnight a few nights later, Barb was awoken from a sound sleep by a
blinding flash of white light and a voice calling out to her, "Barb,
Barb..."

"Rose! Where are you?"

"In Heaven," replied Rose. "I have some really good news and a little bad
news."

"Tell me the good news first," said Barb.

"The good news," Rose said, "is that there's softball in Heaven. Better yet,
all of our old buddies who died before us are here, too. Better than that,
we're all young again. Better still, it's always springtime, and it never
rains or snows. And best of all, we can play softball all we want, and we
never get tired."

"That's fantastic," said Barb. "It's beyond my wildest dreams! So what's the
bad news?"

"You're pitching Tuesday."

[I heard that on Car Talk recently.  :)  -Joe ]

-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
Behalf Of Beamsley, Jeff
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 2:29 PM
To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Basketball

Chuck,

I couldn't agree with you more regarding baseball.  It is the opera of
sport.  It is a taste best acquired at an early age from an older wiser
relative.  I've often said that best way to teach a kid how to
appreciate baseball is to teach them how to use a scorecard.

I love football too, but it is a very different experience.  Football is
about contact and weather and that feeling as a kid that you were
invicible.  Baseball is about blue skies, warm weather, endless days, a
well worn glove, and the feeling that you could play this game forever
and never get tired.

Jeff 

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From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com]
On Behalf Of cherron604 at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 1:58 PM
To: sjtruog at yahoo.com; mlinhardt at netzero.net; nwu-sports at tssi.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Basketball

I must be the only one on here who thinks so, but I have always had a
fondness?for sitting outside, with friends or family on a warm summer
night, consuming hotdogs and 'various beverages' (beer ?), while
explaning the vagaries of scorekeeping to my nephew, and loudly
reminiscing about the great game I saw Wilbur Wood pitch, or one of Dick
Allen's awesome homeruns - memories usually met with yawns, or
preferably, other friends' equally?fond (but quirky) stories.

I love football, but at most football games you cant spread out over
several seats, converse with friends knowing you won't miss much
important, or just stare off into the night sky, savoring that scent of
cooling hot dogs intermingled with warming beer - all for a few bucks a
ticket (if you don't mind the cheap seats, which I don't).

Chuck Herron?? Tech '85

-----Original Message-----
From: SjT (Stephen J. Truog) <sjtruog at yahoo.com>
To: mlinhardt at netzero.net <mlinhardt at netzero.net>; nwu-sports at tssi.com
Sent: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 1:38 pm
Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Basketball

> We go to a couple of Cubs games a year and I am fidgety as there is so

> much downtime.  This does not happen with football.  I am constantly 
> involved even during timeouts.

Gotta agree with the big B word on baseball.:)

And this is coming from someone who coaches little league and loves to
see kids play the game. I just can't watch it on TV or even in person
more than once or twice a year.

A couple of reasons ...

The action vs. downtime ratio is far more thrilling in football. And as
much as you might hear groans about the timeouts and a 4-hour football
game, it's still far more exciting than a 3.5-hour baseball game.

Baseball overall is not as much of a team game compared to football. A
good pitcher could make the majority of the other players on the field
irrelevant, where as a great running back still needs seven men blocking
in front of him to achieve success.

Football seems to involve more strategy, or at least strategy that pays
off. Baseball is more percentages and luck (30% is great at hitting, no
so good for pass completions).

Finally, in regards to professional baseball specifically, it's not
competitive or fair. Today is opening day and 20+ major league teams are
already out of it. Sure, one may put together a feel-good run to win one
of the weaker divisions (or major divisions if a big-market team totally
collapses), but they'll never win the title. My hometown Brewers have
done everything right in building up talent in the minors, drafting
smart, etc. and have a good young team. They won't win the title though,
and they better win the division this year or next before Boston, New
York and LA sign their stars in free agency because the small markets
can't afford them.

Contrast that to football, where some of the most successful franchises
of the past decades - Green Bay, Buffalo, Indianapolis, etc. - have been
in smaller markets. Sure, New York still wins it all some years, but at
least every fan feels they have a level playing field and a chance.

I can't for the life of me see why fans in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, etc.
keep showing up. Even if they get a good young talent, they'll be gone
soon and their team will never have a shot under the current structure
of the league.

Oh well, my annual baseball rant is off my chest.:) 

Go Brewers! At least until Lucy, er New York or Boston, pulls away that
football.:)

And speaking of which, bring on spring football!

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!

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