i hate baseball..
 

By substituting a few words here and there, you not only describe
all spectator sports, but gambling, eating at a restaurant, going on
vacation, going *fly-fishing*, etc., etc., etc.

Frankly, while we might find any of those diversions silly, as long
as the folks who engage in it are using discretionary cash, it's a bit
presumptuous (and ironic, given the nature of our own hobby) for us to
feel like we need to "enlighten" the poor, dumb masses.
Chuck Vance

If you substitute words here and there, you alter the meaning and intent of
my original statement.

IMNSHO, spectator athletics have assumed far too large a role in our
society. We collectively lionize the athletes, pay them exhorbitant
salaries, forgive their illegal behaviors because of their celebrity status,
and brawl and riot in the streets over the outcome of games as if they
really mattered. Cities allow professional franchises to dictate taxation
for the purposes of building new stadia so that the franchise holders need
not spend their own money to practice their profession.

I'm sure you will recognize that I am not a proponent or fan of any
spectator game. Nor do I gamble at casinos, bet on the outcome of amateur
or professional games.

There are sports that I enjoy. Mostly they are sports that one can engage
in alone or with a few friends. What competition I've engaged in over the
years has been largely against my previous marks, better casting distance,
longer backpacking trip, harder climbing lead, better outcome from a hunting
trip, better score on the target range. And while all of these may allow
some spectator coverage, they've largely not become the marketing darlings
that professional athletics have. I hope it remains so.

As to enlightenment of the masses, it amazes me to see people spend hard
earned dollars to watch games being played by people with limited or no
loyalty to the community and fans that pay their exhorbiant salaries. If we
want gladiators to take our minds off the economy or our other troubles,
then at least make the gladiators pay the price of their fame and glory with
more than sweat.

I do dine out from time to time but not as often or as expensively as most.
I find that I can serve up a dinner of equal quality as I would get at most
restaurants. I'd rather put what little discretionary cash I have into
good ingredients for meals, good materials for flies, and good equipment for
my personal sporting pleasure. I don't need the pseudo-loyalty to a team of
gladiators and don't enjoy the mob scene in stadia. I managed to graduate
university without ever attending a collegiate game.

----
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Darkstar

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm

i hate baseball..
 

slenon wrote:
Long, indignant, sanctimonious, self-important diatribe snipped.
I managed to graduate
university without ever attending a collegiate game.

Did you ever live on campus ? I kinda doubt it, you strike me as the
mail order type. What so-called "university" do you call alma mater
or was it merely a PO box ?

--
Ken Fortenberry

i hate baseball..
 

slenon wrote:

.....
Perhaps we could justify the out of sight compensation for professional
athletes if we reverted back to the actuality of the gladiatorial concept
and slaughtered the losing teams.
.....

Hmmm now, would that make Cubs and Red Sox fans feel better or worse at
the end of every year......?

JR

i hate baseball..
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:

slenon wrote:
Long, indignant, sanctimonious, self-important diatribe snipped.
I managed to graduate
university without ever attending a collegiate game.

Did you ever live on campus ? I kinda doubt it, you strike me as the
mail order type. What so-called "university" do you call alma mater
or was it merely a PO box ?

I went to W&M as an undergraduate (attended lots of football games), and
did grad work at UMd (one game) and UF (zero games). It's somewhere
between the W&M model and the UMd model that college football loses what
college athletics "should be about." It's somewhere between the UMd
model and the UF model that it loses (after stomping on it a bit) what
civilization should be about. On the positive side, though, having the
school attached as an appendage gives the FL legislature a convenient
excuse for subsidizing the team. ;)

JR

i hate baseball..
 

"JR" wrote in message
...
slenon wrote:

.....
Perhaps we could justify the out of sight compensation for professional
athletes if we reverted back to the actuality of the gladiatorial
concept
and slaughtered the losing teams.
.....

Hmmm now, would that make Cubs and Red Sox fans feel better or worse at
the end of every year......?


Well, they'd feel good until they made the playoffs. Then one of them would
feel bad just once...

--riverman

i hate baseball..
 

"JR" wrote in message
...

....having the
school attached as an appendage gives the FL legislature a
convenient
excuse for subsidizing the team. ;)

It is having things like state legislatures as appendages that give
schools like UF cache.

Wolfgang
um......you wouldn't hit a guy with glasses would you, uncle wally?
:(

i hate baseball..
 

JR wrote:

I went to W&M as an undergraduate (attended lots of football games), and
did grad work at UMd (one game) and UF (zero games). It's somewhere
between the W&M model and the UMd model that college football loses what
college athletics "should be about."

Oh, you'd love this year's version of the Illini. They're somewhere
between William & Mary and The Billy Bob School of Auto Repair. :-(

--
Ken Fortenberry- and did I mention that W&M alums are elitists ;-)

i hate baseball..
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Oh, you'd love this year's version of the Illini. They're somewhere
between William & Mary and The Billy Bob School of Auto Repair. :-(
--
Ken Fortenberry- and did I mention that W&M alums are elitists ;-)

Sad, but funny and true. :(

i hate baseball..
 

Did you ever live on campus ? I kinda doubt it, you strike me as the
mail order type. What so-called "university" do you call alma mater
or was it merely a PO box ?
Ken Fortenberry

Uof MOO C, Kenny. Your intuition failed you once again.

Yes, I lived on and off campus there.

If you try very hard you just might comprehend that some of us are not
interested in watching athletes play games in stadia that raise the cost of
student fees.

----
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Darkstar

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm

i hate baseball..
 

Hmmm now, would that make Cubs and Red Sox fans feel better or worse at
the end of every year......?
JR

Hard to say. Perhaps we should begin the process in Chicago and see how it
affects the fan base.

----
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Darkstar

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm