On Spring Football and why it's odd to me

I went to the Spring football game for Oregon today. Since they were honoring vets, and since the barbershop chorus I sing in was singing the “Armed Forces Medley” at the half, I actually needed to go. A class touch: at the end of the game, the players gave their game jerseys to some deserving vets. I felt that much was classy, as was honoring the vets at the half.

But there’s something I don’t get: Why is there a football game in the spring?

Now, I’m not that dumb. I understand why there are spring college football games. I understand that the NCAA allows so many practice sessions in the spring, under the thinly veiled guise of the players being “student-athletes.” I understand the concept of having a simulated game, to see how players are progressing. And I understand opening said game to the throngs of football fans (25,000 plus turned out today!), even for just a few cans of food for Food of Lane County, is a PR thing.

I even understand that it’s a big marketing thing. People will be buying season tickets soon, if they aren’t already.

But that doesn’t really answer my question: Why is there a football game in the spring? The way they do this, is that it is a “medium contact” game, with limited hits to the QB, no sacks, shorter quarters (although I understand that was for the ESPN folks), and a chance to see that Oregon’s kickers need some work. (Actually, they need a lot of work.)

So why bother? It’s not that I’m not in favor of the Ducks; I am. It’s not that I don’t like football; although I have been heard to utter the immortal words of Dr. Harry L. Dinkle, The World’s Greatest Band Director: “Football fields are for band practice!” It’s not even that I think it’s silly to play a football game in the middle of baseball season--although to me it is, really.

I guess it’s that, if they are going to make this like a real game, then let’s really do it right. Let ‘em play like they were playing a real opponent, like say, OSU or UW. Play 15 minute quarters. Get real refs on the field, and not an ESPN commentator in a zebra suit. Sell tickets for $5 or $10. (Food donations should still be allowed, and in fact, made mandatory.) Let them sack the QB at least once a quarter. Heck, make them play at night under the lights. In short: Let ‘em play under real life conditions, and quit wasting their time.

Otherwise, this is just a glorified practice, and really doesn't prove much at all.

Enough for now.

On Canada and the Winter Olympics

The spectacle that is the Winter Olympics is currently going on in our neighbor’s back yard. (Vancouver is a tad far to be considered our back yard.) Canada so far has been a great host; the US is way ahead in the overall medal count. Though the Canadians haven’t fared too poorly, either. They finally won a gold medal at home, enshrining Alexandre Bilodeau’s name securely in their sporting history forever.

The Olympics are an interesting spectacle. We place all our hopes and dreams on people who represent our country, celebrating their triumphs and mourning their losses as if we were there. We call them our medals, but really...they belong to those who actively participated. We just get to share in their fun, without sacrificing anything except a little money. Well, okay. That and two weeks of our lives where suddenly, we absolutely must win medals in sports we almost never see here outside the Olympics and normally could care less about.

Be honest...when was the last time you saw a Bobsleigh race on the tube here? Or curling? When was the last time you saw anything on ice other than a hockey game or a drink of some extraction?

I didn’t think so.

Time to fess up--I know you don’t follow Ice Dancing at any other time outside of once every four years, and only then if we have a shot at a medal.

Speaking of medals...the US has, in the first week, taken advantage of our neighbors in The Great White North. This comes as a bit of a surprise to me, certainly, as normally we don’t do as well in winter sports. Canada had a program in place to own the podium, and it appears that we beat them to the property so far.

Understand-I am cheering for both countries. I am not ashamed to admit this. I am a bit sick and tired of the Europeans thinking they can just walk in and own the place. (And, as a Cold War Vet, don’t even start me on Russia. Or Korea, for all that.) I’d like to see many more medals coming here, and if not here, to Canada. They deserve any and all medals they get, and more. Bring them home to North America, kids.

About my relationship to the host country: While I do have a sister that was born in Newfoundland, she is and I am American citizens. Make no mistake about that. However...if I had to move to any other country in the world, I think Canada is where I’d want to go. I have friends there (and a shout out to my friends and readers in the Ontario District of the BHS; you know who you are and I thank you for your friendship-especially at Director’s College). I know that every time I have been to Canada, I have been treated well-except for one meal at La Cage Aux Sport at Centre Bell in Montreal.

I have undertaken several trips to Canada, but my last trip to British Columbia was in 1983 on a marching band tour. (I didn’t make it to Vancouver then; I hope to finally rectify that this summer.) The band went to Victoria, located on Vancouver Island. Victoria is every bit as nice as Vancouver (from what I’ve seen of Vancouver on the TV), and maybe just a bit nicer. We were there for the Victoria Day parade, and the Harbour Days festival. I’ve never forgotten that trip.

(Side note: if any of my readers know of anyone who marched in 1980 with Pacific Blue from Surrey, BC please drop me a line. I was virtually adopted into their corps, and have wondered from time to time how people are doing. Not that many would remember my name, and honestly, I don’t remember many of theirs. But I digress.)

Back to the Olympics-I am so mad at NBC. It's bad enough, Boris, that they are keeping America up till all hours (and don’t lecture me about things like DVR’s and TiVo, buster, or you’re staying after class and clapping the erasers). This means I can’t get live Olympic feeds from CTV (who, as part of a consortium, won the rights to the Olympics in Canada) online, because NBC has exclusive rights here in the US. In turn, this also means that, until the games are over, I can’t get a live straight news feed from Canada on either CTV or the CBC online. That is called censorship, and is a topic I’ll blog on later. I hope somebody else gets the contract for the next games; or at least NBC starts them an hour earlier next time. It reeks that I’m in the same time zone as Vancouver, and there’s what-a two to three hour time delay? What’s up with that? It’s just wrong.

Meantime, I’m trying to keep up with the fun sports, like bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, speed skating-and yes, curling-and it’s been made...difficult, shall we say...because most Americans either don’t understand some of these sports, or don’t care to learn. If there's little interest, there's no ratings. No ratings means that they'll show something like Ice Dancing that does draw ratings.

Enough for now.