It’s Really Tough To Be A Fan

With no snowballs to throw, the stadium full of season ticket holders booed them to the locker room.

Helaine and I were dumbfounded, beside ourselves. “When does spring training start,” she wondered?

BA6RWe were excited to watch the Eagles play this afternoon. There’s been a lot written about them this summer. Expectations were high. And, today the Eagles were playing patsies, The Jacksonville Jaguars.

On the first series, Nick Foles the unexpected, but apparent, savior of Philadelphia, looked very mortal.

Hit.

Fumble.

Turnover.

Just like that it was 7-0.

Foles coughed it up again, was sacked five times and threw an interception as the Eagles were threatening. 17-0 at the half.

With no snowballs to throw, the stadium full of season ticket holders booed them to the locker room.

Helaine and I were dumbfounded, beside ourselves. “When does spring training start,” she wondered?

Fans are fans. If you’re one you understand. We watch the Phillies play, though their view of the rest of the National League is dim tail lights in the distance. We weren’t going to abandon the Eagles either. We’d be crushed nonetheless!

A different Eagles team came out for the second half. How is that possible? How can a turnaround be so movie script dramatic?

All of a sudden the Eagles were unstoppable. The scored 17 to tie it, then another 17 for good measure. Final score 34-17.

Via Instant Messenger&#185, my buddy Bob in Florida typed, “clearly the best half time locker speech ever.”

Clearly.

Meanwhile, H and I were so invested in the Eagle’s season we were still emotionally distraught from the first half! It’s sort of crazy, isn’t it? To be that much of a fan?

It’s not a choice you make. It just happens.

&#185 – My friend Bob and I are the last two people on AOL Instant Messenger. I remember when that was the Internet’s hottest property.

It’s Tough To Be A Fan

“Put something else on.” It was Helaine speaking. It was Sunday. The Eagles had already passed bad and were starting to be embarrassing to watch.

She didn’t want them put out of their misery as much as she wanted them put out of her misery! It’s tough to be a sports fan.

The Eagles offensive line is so bad this year that anyone showing up at “The Linc” who’s taller than 6′ 3″ and heavier than 325 lbs. has a decent chance of being asked to suit up.

It was the same with the Phillies. By the All-Star break they were so far back the owners began to dismantle the team. Starters like Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence were given a plane ticket and a slap on the tush.

The funny thing is in this modern era the only team loyalty is from fans to teams. It’s certainly not from teams to players or teams to fans.

It’s sad. We’ll continue to watch the Eagles play, but I’m not sure why. The Eagles should be playing for a playoff berth. Instead I’m thinking they’re playing to avoid injury.

Doppler’s Ready For Spring Training

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I know, Giants fans are still celebrating. Here in the Fox household we’re ready for baseball.

Helaine reminds me last time the Giants won the Super Bowl the Phillies won the World Series. Let the games begin!

Eagles Should Have Played: I’m With Rendell

Note: After writing this I reconsidered my opinion. I am leaving the original up, but you should read the comments which were important in my decision. – Geoff

The Philadelphia Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings tomorrow night. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday night at 8:30 PM. At game time nearby Philadelphia International reported visibility of 3/4 mile in moderate snow and blowing snow. The wind was out of the northwest at 21 mph. It was 25&#176.

Under anyone’s sense of the word it was cold… brutally cold in Philadelphia. It was unpleasant to be outside. For those improperly prepared it was dangerous!

The game shouldn’t have been postponed!

Speaking on KYW-TV in Philly former Philadelphia Mayor and current Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said,

This is football; football’s played in bad weather. I think the fans would have gotten there, the subways work and the major arteries are still open, and other fans would have stayed home – but you play football regardless of the weather.

He’s right even though the current Mayor had declared a State of Emergency in the city.

If I was broadcasting in Philadelphia I would have encouraged viewers to stay home. People would have anyway! The game would have still been available on TV staffed by a crew ready for bad winter weather.

I’m an Eagles fan. This delay probably benefits the Eagles. It makes no difference.

It’s unfair to the other NFL teams who’ve had to suffer through pass deflecting winds, frozen fields and limited visibility.

A Tale Of Two Front Pages

Here are the front pages from today’s New York Daily News and Philadelphia Daily News.

Sunday night on NBC’s primetime football game Bob Costas admonished the NY Giants not to listen to the radio today! Is there reception where they’ll be hiding? I’m sure the feeling in Philadelphia is very different.

With that in mind here are the front pages from today’s New York Daily News and Philadelphia Daily News.

How I’ll Watch Two Games At Once Tonight

This is the techno equivalent of rubbing your stomach while patting your head and hopping on one leg.

Comcast has upgraded our DVR. Actually that may not be the proper characterization. They’ve changed and prettied it. Upgrade? The jury’s still out.

In order to enable the new stuff Comcast eliminated a few minor never used features like the picture-in-picture I want to use today! The Eagles and Phillies are both playing at 8:00 PM.

It’s the 21st Century. I can ad lib a solution… maybe.

Our Vizio TV has picture-in-picture built in, but one picture will have to be the cable tuner in HD and the other the set’s built-in tuner. It too might be HD. I’m really not sure at this point. This is the techno equivalent of rubbing your stomach while patting your head and hopping on one leg.

In case you’re wondering what I’ll be doing during halftime of the Giants/Texans game you now know.

—–

Conclusion: Wow, it works! The setup to split the screen was reasonably straightforward… if you’re nerdy. Seriously, this is not for the faint of heart.

On top of that there is the ability to actually make the split 50/50 and swap audio from side to side.

As it turns out the picture-in-picture Comcast removed was inferior to what I already had.

This Isn’t Football!

Call me when the real season begins.

I’ve got football on. Hold a sec. Check that. Football off.

I like football. This is not football.

I’m sorry NBC I’m not picking on you. These games are missing all the excitement of football because they are not competitions.

Favre was pulled after one series. He went down under heavy defensive pressure. Grass stains on his tush!

If the game was tight and coming down to the wire would the starters go back in? Seriously? Why do I even use the word game?

It’s the summer. TV households are usually down. I’m sure it makes economic sense and there are people who want to watch (and certainly enough channels to set aside one), but this isn’t why I watch football.

Call me when the real season begins.

Who Ya’ Rooting Against?

Joe Buck said, “They’re down by 11 and in trouble here.” Like music to our ears

Minnesota-Vikings-Logo.gifFootball is on our TV. We are resilient, I’ll say that. The Eagles are out. We no longer have a horse in this race.

We could pick another team to root for (we will probably be happiest for the Jets), but that’s not the Fox Family way. I’m not sure it’s the American way.

No–we will spend the rest of the playoffs mainly rooting against teams! It’s so much more fun.

“I never knew I was so much of a Vikings fan,” Helaine just blurted, not knowing she was writing this blog entry for me. A Viking back had just run up the middle for a first down. Don’t ask me his name.

Other than Brett Favre I’d be hard pressed to tell you much about the Vikes. They play where people embrace the cold with their unbleached blond hair. Fans bring Miracle Whip sandwiches and milk in their wood paneled station wagons&#185.

No offense Minnesotans, we’re in this to root against the Cowboys. Blissfully, they’re being manhandled.

Joe Buck said, “They’re down by 11 and in trouble here.” Like music to our ears.

Now they’re down by 14.

Is this the same satisfaction as rooting your team to victory? No, but we love football… and hate the Cowboys.

Any port in a storm.

&#185 – OK, I’m making that part up, but I’m not being mean. It’s just my jealousy of their beauty and vigor. I hate that in strangers.

Watch The All Stars Hit Homers

It’s a trash sport, right? It’s a derivative to make money on what was on off day.

I’m on the sofa with Helaine and Stef watching the MLB Home Run Derby. It’s a trash sport, right? It’s a derivative to make money on what was on off day.

Bitch, bitch, bitch. I’m still in front of the TV.

The least interesting part of the Derby is the Derby itself. I like the back stories–the American Legion coaches invited to come back and pitch some b.p. to the superstar he helped nurture.

I like seeing the kids too. I assume those are players’ children shagging balls in the outfield. When Albert Pujols’ son sat with him early in the contest it was quite charming.

ESPN is introducing “Ball Track,” which uses “Doppler radar to track the ball off the bat and provide the following information.”

* Real-time distance the ball is traveling (from the point of impact to the final resting point);

* The path of the ball, or arch, as it travels through the air;

* Projection by using the path of the ball (in mid-flight, using a changing color pattern) whether the hit will be a home run.

This is a gimmick without the utility of the virtual first down marker used on football telecasts. The trajectory has kinks in what I’ve always expected to be a smooth path. By the time the technology decides it’s a home run I’ve aready figured it out too.

I suspect I’ll be long gone before the celebrity softball game starts.

Football Sunday

We will be on the sofa. There is assigned seating. I will be wedged in the uncomfortable curved section in the corner.

The Eagles play this afternoon. Helaine, Stef and I are die hard Eagles fans. We will be on the sofa. There is assigned seating. I will be wedged in the uncomfortable curved section in the corner.

As with any modern American family we will each have a laptop… and Stef an additional Blackberry.

This game is an unexpected pleasure. Not only had we given up on this year’s Eagles, we openly speculated whether McNabb and Andy Reid should be back. Is it too late to say sorry?

It’s like Popeye after a can of spinach. All Of a sudden everyone is fearful of the Eagles. Strange.

Teams master football the way players master golf or poker. Every once in a while you have a streak and confuse it with divine insight. Don’t be fooled. Streaks can’t last. There are bad beat in every pursuit.

Any Eagle team could be out there today. It’s my understand that’s why they still play the games.

Just Another Football Sunday

The daytime games didn’t hold much more than peripheral interest for us, though I enjoyed watching Oakland and New England play a full four quarters in heavy rain.

“I’m going to fold these jeans and leave them near the bed for tomorrow,” I told Helaine last night. “Right,” she said. “Will you even be up for the first game?”

OK–I never got out of my pajamas today. I didn’t take the camera out as I’d planned. In fact I barely made halftime before coming downstairs. I hate it when she knows more about me than I do.

We spent the day watching football on TV. The daytime games didn’t hold much more than peripheral interest for us, though I enjoyed watching Oakland and New England play a full four quarters in heavy rain.

With the Eagles way behind we’ve taken to rooting against teams hoping for entree to the NFC wild card. Lose Redskins. Lose Cowboys. Lose Atlanta. We got two of three.

“Go Giants,” Helaine said earlier today. Really? It’s come to that? How sad.

Nobody’s Perfect

Helaine is a really good person to invite to a party, because she loves to bake. And, she’s very good at it. I have, unfortunately, nibbled on her baked goodies much too often. If she baked at home under everyday circumstances, I’d weigh 400 pounds.

the_catch.jpgIn what was one of the best football games I’ve ever seen, the Giants beat the Patriots in Super Bowl something, something “L.” The Pats quest to be perfect ended.

I don’t want to dwell on the game. There are more eloquent writers who’ll fill the newspapers tomorrow. I do need to acknowledge Eli Manning’s escape from the grasp of the Patriot’s defense and subsequent complete pass to David Tyree. It was a play for the ages.

Normally, Helaine and I would sit and watch from home. This year we joined some friends, and their friends, for a Super Bowl party in New Haven.

Being in a crowd disqualifies me for much discussion of the commercials. Those I did see in the clear seemed like they were trying too hard.

Helaine is a really good person to invite to a party. She loves to bake and she’s very good at it. I have, unfortunately, nibbled on her baked goodies much too often. If she baked at home under everyday circumstances, I’d weigh 400 pounds.

We came with pecan squares, butter cookies with a jam center (these are possibly the finest cookies ever baked), rice pudding, chocolate and chocolate chip cookies and Mexican dip.

This was quite an eclectic group, mainly made of people who used to be in, or were still in, radio.

We watched the game on a big screen TV in the living room. When it got too crowded, there was another set nearby. During big plays, the people watching that auxiliary set would cheer or moan about five seconds before we saw what was going on with the big screen. There’s that much delay!

I’ve never been a huge Tom Petty fan, but they were great. No disappointment there for me.

About two thirds through the evening, one of the other guests came up to me to say he could see the body language between Helaine and me,showing how we felt about each other. That was very nice to hear. I do feel that way about her.

Now my sports world goes quiet for a short while. Pitchers and catchers report in just a few weeks.

Annoying Ads On Football

If you watch a lot of football, and we do, you see a lot of the same ads repeated… and repeated again.

Helaine likes the animals singing along with Andy Kim’s Rock Me Gently. I like the NFL merchandise spot where players deliver ‘swag,’ like Adam Vinatieri kicking a grill long distance to a fan.

We like anything with Peyton Manning, especially his “pep talks.” Helaine just rewound the DVR to see MasterCard was the sponsor. Oops. I’d work on that brand recognition boys.

We’re disappointed by Southwest Airlines’ new business oriented spots. We like Southwest as they were, people oriented.

Mostly, I’m bugged by the Coors Light ads. You know the ones. Twentysomething guys infiltrate NFL post-game press conferences. Using actual coaches responses, the script inserts new questions.

This bit was pretty funny when Steve Allen did it in the early 60s&#185. It is not funny now.

Good writing is incredibly valuable. These are terribly written. There is no subtlety, no nuance. The match between question and answer is often tenuous. The whole thing is just forced.

There is one unforeseen problem with my distaste for these spots. I can’t turn away! Helaine was first to notice, as soon as the commercial came on TV I’d snap my neck in that direction.

Maybe I shouldn’t let Coors know.

&#185 – I remember Allen using this on his Sunday evening show. He would play back studio supplied, filmed interviews with movie stars on location. First he’d do the interview straight. Then he’d do it again, with new questions.

Steve Allen invented most of what’s on TV and everything that’s on late night.

Freezecam Debuts

We’re watching ‘the’ game on TV – New England vs. Indianapolis on CBS. So far, this battle of undefeated teams, both led by charismatic quarterbacks, is everything promised.

Not a sports fan? Don’t stop reading up yet.

CBS added a new feature to today’s coverage – FreezeCam. Remember when two words actually had a space between them?

I’ve tried to find as much info as I could, but there’s really not much available.

FreezeCam manipulates a high resolution, wide angle image of the field. There are enough pixels to allow zooming into small areas without the image getting ratty. It looks spectacular, though it’s probably not as amazing as it seems. Even in high definition, a television screen has significantly less resolution than a cheap digital camera.

Still, this is a major breakthrough, allowing a view of quick events happening away from the action where a camera would not normally be looking.

FreezeCam comes from Sportvision, the company responsible for many of the best sports video innovations. They provide the virtual 1st down line in football games, car tracking in NASCAR and pitc trajectory in Major League Baseball games.

I think they also provide the technology for the virtual ads behind home plate you see during baseball games. I’m considering giving them a pass on that, all things considered.

These are my type of geeks!

I’ve only seen Freezecam used a few times so far, to isolate a runner’s feet in possible out-of-bounds plays. Very impressive. It’s a gadget with a real purpose and value.

In a few years, we’ll probably be as blas

Gametime With UCONN Football

Helaine and I spent a good part of the afternoon watching UCONN vs USF from Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

First, I wanted to see if my forecast verified. I’d spent a good deal of air time, both Thursday and Friday, giving a specific gametime forecast. That can be a setup for disaster.

Sorry to the folks in the stands, but I’m glad it poured.

Second, UCONN is now a nationally ranked college football team. That’s new.

In our 23 years in Connecticut, UCONN has served mainly as an easy week for other schools. The change came with Coach Randy Edsall and quarterback Dan Orlovsky (You can see him at Detroit Lions games, mainly carrying a clipboard). All of a sudden UCONN football means something.

“Name two players,” Helaine asked as the game began?

OK, I’m a front runner. I admit it. If UCONN was having another loser season, I wouldn’t be watching. In fact, this might be the first UCONN game I’ve watched from opening kickoff to final gun.

The coverage on ABC has been fine with one exception. The announcers are ‘awayers’… as opposed to homers. Any effective play by UCONN was greeted by surprise. It was only a matter of time before USF would take control – or so they implied.

Grrrr. It’s like listening to the TBS coverage of a Phillies/Braves game.

The game’s not over, and USF may yet win, but UCONN is ahead by a touchdown. A little impartiality might be nice. UCONN has played well and that deserves to be recognized.

And, as it turns out, UCONN wins!