Most of these whines come under the heading of too much hype.
Now, I've followed the Red Sox pretty religiously this season. I've watched most of just about every game and enjoyed seeing this team come to this point. But somehow, its just not as fun now that they have won game 1 of the World Series in a blowout.
Now for the things I don't like about the show my team is part of now:
- The Papelbon Dance. This was fun the first time, but has gotten old. The first time he did it, it seemed to be a genuine expression of joy. Now it seems forced. I saw a local TV news station this morning that is holding a contest to see which viewers can supply the best video of someone impersonating Papelbon's Dance. Enough.
- Tim McCarver. I had to listen to this dolt through the ALCS and I was sick of him before the first game. Enough.
- People talking baseball who haven't the slightest idea what they are talking about. This seems to be a product of the peer pressure in the city at them moment. Nearly any small talk session seems to require some Sox talk. Enough.
- Designated "Sox Spirit Day". This is the corporate or bureaucratically sanctioned day to 'show your spirit' by wearing a cap or shirt. I hate this more than I hate the knuckleheads at the games who admonish other fans when to stand and cheer. Enough.
I may just lose interest in this before the Series is over. That's probably a good thing, because I should probably find something else to do with my brain....like talk about the FOOTBALL!!!.....ugh....please shoot me if I fall into that.
One of the things I love most about baseball is the individuality of it. It is a game of many individual performances. When these moments are strung together in succession, they make up a game and in turn a series, a season, and so on. Somehow, the tradition and social functions that come along with the World Series detracts from this individuality. Papelbon is now required to dance because fans expect it. McCarver must analyze because he has done it for so many years. People with a passing interest in the game and the team must talk about it because it is the subject du jour. Corporations and schools tell people when and how to express their "Sox Spririt". And little by little they all make the whole baseball experience less and less fun.
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1 comment:
I like what you had to say about baseball. I've been struggling with a way to express exactly why I love it so, and you captured it perfectly: the pure individuality of it.
Unlike you, however, I miss the fan excitement surrounding a Sox post-season. But that's probably because I spent too many years away from anything that felt familiar to me, and much of what I liked and identified with was under suspicion or attack.
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