Write Everyday Project #13, Baseball v Football

Nothing having drawn my attention today, I'm returning to something I heard on the radio Football versus Baseball.  This came about because the NFL's ratings remain through the roof, while even playoff baseball is comparably unwatched.

But I think that's apples and oranges.  Not only are there ten times as many baseball games as football games, the former just isn't that good as a TV sport and the latter is less watchable in person.

Baseball, in my experience, works best at the ballgame.  Being able to watch the whole field rather than just the pitcher and batter makes for a better experience.  Plus the pace of the game is such that you end up talking about the situation and what you think is going to happen with the friends you came with.  (Note, unless you're a very social person, you get much less out of a baseball game if you go alone.)

Football, on the other hand, generally gives you a pretty good look at the field from TV, and without TV catching it for you, it's too easy to lose track of what's happening on the field.  What's more, unless you have really good seats, at least half the time the game's so far away it's hard to get anything at all.  You end up watching on the jumbotron, and if you're doing that why did you pay so much money for the privilege?  Also, unless you go early in the season or your team plays in a dome, the weather is almost invariably worse.  Sitting out in the cold and paying $4 to get hot chocolate so I don't freeze isn't my idea of a great time.

So when Sunday rolls around it's only natural that, unless you're a fan of one of the baseball teams actually in the playoffs (which I'm not,) that you'll watch the sport that's better on TV, and that's football.

Write Everyday Project #5, Farewell to Ozzie

While I had considered doing a piece on United States' first brush with becoming a superpower in the wake of the Civil War, I seem to have been overtaken by events.  And, unlike the late, lamented Ozzie Guillen, the Civil War isn't going anywhere.

Alas poor Ozzie, I knew him well.  Love him for winning the World Series or hate him for not having a filter between brain and mouth, Ozzie Guillen was never boring.  He finally talked his way out of town and is on his way to Miami to be the manager for the Marlins in exchange for a couple of prospects from the Marlins' system.

While I personally love the guy and wish he'd have stuck around, this was probably the best time to cut him loose.  How often can you fire your manager and get another team to pay the last year of his contract and give you players for him?  The Marlins need a face of the franchise with their new stadium opening up, and Ozzie is both famous and has a history with the Marlins since he was a coach on their '03 World Series winning team.

So it makes sense on both sides, but damn, baseball just got a lot less interesting here in Chicago all the same.  Here's hoping Guillen meets with success with Florida and the stars align to bring him back to the Sox in a few years.

Godspeed, you crazy bastard!