Okay, i have been watching UT baseball, with this site as my chief out-of-town source, since the dark days of 1998. My memory is imperfect, but i could SWEAR that there was much, much, MUCH more chatter on here from 2000 through 2005 or so.
And yet now, when the cupboard is full and a surge into Omaha as NC CONTENDERS is a regular occurrence, there are crickets chirping.
Looking at possible explanations, it could be that adversity and fear inspire more conversation than does a happy confidence. We all remember the blood that saturated these corridors pre-2000, or possibly pre-2002. The harshest of words were exchanged, including fighting-words about certain posters being "bad" fans," others not knowing #*#* about the game of baseball, successful California coaches not knowing how to coach "Texas kids", or just turning on each other generally as families in crisis sometimes will. Tempers ran short and voices were constantly getting raised to a shouting level. I myself wandered blindly into a few lively discussions and suddenly found myself getting a drubbing. Yet on even the most unpleasant of days around here, we could always console ourselves that the tent was huge and the exchanges of information and ideas were very, very robust.
But that would not explain the also-lively tempo of conversation that was sustained around here from 2002-2005. Those were very successful years and we kept right on cheering, even as we debated all sorts of things about the bunt, power-hitting, pitching and lineup decisions and such.
Alternatively, it could be that slightly improved TV coverage over this era has reduced the "captivity" of the casual hornfans audience, leaving only the true enthusiasts who have been around awhile, just sort of talking amongst ourselves, without the information-starved droves of yore. But i don't believe this one either, because i can never seem to find very many games on TV and audio is as spotty as ever, internet-wise. [Remember when one could just jump onto The Zone's "listen to audio live" link, and voila, there was the game?]
Or it could be that the economy is flat, people are working more and earning less, and therefore have less discretionary time and money to devote to hobbies like following baseball teams. But this too makes no sense, because this nation [and, indeed, the Longhorn Nation specifically] played baseball through the Civil War, two World Wars, Vietnam and the Great Depression. I think sociological data would probably confirm that we turn to baseball most when times are tough, because of the reassuring, steady rhythms the game gives us. The diamond is always there, pregnant with possiblities.
So, unless someone can educate me otherwise [and i yearn to be corrected on this], i am afraid that i must pronounce this malaise to flow directly from a lack of focusness on the part of all of us.
Every one of us, if we look into our hearts, shares the guilt for this situation. Every one of us, if we meditate on it deeply and honestly, has blood on his hands.
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio -- er, Bill in Sinton? What has befallen us?
With the postseason right around the corner, this must change -- and it must change fast.
Recapture what has been lost, O hornfans, before we grow complacent and it is too late. Omaha, that shining city on the prairie, awaits, with its riches untold, for the team that is worthy and focused. Our worthiness assured, the difference-maker will be focus.
That is all. Please return to your homes, your places of business, and carry on, ever-mindful of the above cautionary information.
And yet now, when the cupboard is full and a surge into Omaha as NC CONTENDERS is a regular occurrence, there are crickets chirping.
Looking at possible explanations, it could be that adversity and fear inspire more conversation than does a happy confidence. We all remember the blood that saturated these corridors pre-2000, or possibly pre-2002. The harshest of words were exchanged, including fighting-words about certain posters being "bad" fans," others not knowing #*#* about the game of baseball, successful California coaches not knowing how to coach "Texas kids", or just turning on each other generally as families in crisis sometimes will. Tempers ran short and voices were constantly getting raised to a shouting level. I myself wandered blindly into a few lively discussions and suddenly found myself getting a drubbing. Yet on even the most unpleasant of days around here, we could always console ourselves that the tent was huge and the exchanges of information and ideas were very, very robust.
But that would not explain the also-lively tempo of conversation that was sustained around here from 2002-2005. Those were very successful years and we kept right on cheering, even as we debated all sorts of things about the bunt, power-hitting, pitching and lineup decisions and such.
Alternatively, it could be that slightly improved TV coverage over this era has reduced the "captivity" of the casual hornfans audience, leaving only the true enthusiasts who have been around awhile, just sort of talking amongst ourselves, without the information-starved droves of yore. But i don't believe this one either, because i can never seem to find very many games on TV and audio is as spotty as ever, internet-wise. [Remember when one could just jump onto The Zone's "listen to audio live" link, and voila, there was the game?]
Or it could be that the economy is flat, people are working more and earning less, and therefore have less discretionary time and money to devote to hobbies like following baseball teams. But this too makes no sense, because this nation [and, indeed, the Longhorn Nation specifically] played baseball through the Civil War, two World Wars, Vietnam and the Great Depression. I think sociological data would probably confirm that we turn to baseball most when times are tough, because of the reassuring, steady rhythms the game gives us. The diamond is always there, pregnant with possiblities.
So, unless someone can educate me otherwise [and i yearn to be corrected on this], i am afraid that i must pronounce this malaise to flow directly from a lack of focusness on the part of all of us.
Every one of us, if we look into our hearts, shares the guilt for this situation. Every one of us, if we meditate on it deeply and honestly, has blood on his hands.
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio -- er, Bill in Sinton? What has befallen us?
With the postseason right around the corner, this must change -- and it must change fast.
Recapture what has been lost, O hornfans, before we grow complacent and it is too late. Omaha, that shining city on the prairie, awaits, with its riches untold, for the team that is worthy and focused. Our worthiness assured, the difference-maker will be focus.
That is all. Please return to your homes, your places of business, and carry on, ever-mindful of the above cautionary information.
