urbanSTL

The writer of the Deadspin article is a fat Aussie (American) who's acting like a hissing Tasmanian devil.

And he looks as if he has been carb'ing out in recent years.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.......fatty!

I can understand the humor that some fanatics bring to sports, however, it's a slippery slope to call out people for passion. Sport doesn't have a monopoly on questionable behavior or ideology. Any violence or immoderate emotion is certainly not called for in regards to sport, but it's also not called for in most of the things that bring out the worst in people.

I could find just as much humor in people that whine all day about their taxes. In reality, it's an inevitability of which we have very little control and $itching about it won't change a thing. What about politics? One could pay zero attention to politics for the rest of their life and probably be just fine (probably better off, actually). Same could be said for those (like me) that take the urban health of STL to heart, wearing it on their sleeve. Big picture.....an arugment could be made that it doesn't matter.

How is it much different to take pride in living in STL or a particular neighborhood of any city vs having pride in your regional sports team? On a day to day level, any one citizen has about as much say in civic progress or deterioration as a fan of a team has in said team's. Based on one's level of investment, however, one can titrate that level of perceived involvement in a neighborhood or a team to as much as or little as you want; and if it makes you happy, so be it. What if "the laundry" is the city flag?

Until one can prove that what they value matters and what others value doesn't (and you can't) it's dangerous to criticize.

I just think they shouldn't call it a hack.

Its criminal, and it needs investigated but its not like someone used a phishing sceme to deploy a trojan horse onto the Astros server and then used it to exploit some weakness in the system. Basically someone guessed someone elses password. The term hacking implies something much more organized coordinated and sinister than guessing a password.

blzhrpmd2 wrote:Until one can prove that what they value matters and what others value doesn't (and you can't) it's dangerous to criticize.

That's what I said, there's a lot of humor to be found with people who take themselves too seriously. And holy smokes, we're talking about baseball here. Let's keep it a apples to apples comparisons of entertainment. All this talk of civic, political, career, et cetera enthusiasm is a little over-reaching for what is essentially a really dumb situation which wouldn't have happened if all parties in it weren't dumb which may or may not have been a crime.

So let's laugh at the stupid. I agree though, if it makes you happy then do it. I feel that way for people that want to spend their money to put on the jersey of someone else then see a game and people who like to dress up as their favorite comic book hero and go to a convention (or both if you're a Raiders fan). In both situations, one has to have cognitive dissonance that they look a little silly. And therein lies the humor.

Seriously, who would have tried to steal trade/player secrets of the lowly Astros? Come on.

Until recently, the Astros were pretty much cellar dwellers.

It makes no sense to me because most player information and stats can be found on MLB.com, team websites and other sports-related sites on the Internet.

These allegations, in my opinion, are simply the Houston Astros organization and Luhnow trying to piss on the Cardinals even though they are now in the American League.

The Cardinals have had winning ways for well over a decade. And the Cardinals have been winning WITHOUT Luhnow.

Sometimes people hate winners - especially the Astros because they have never won anything - except maybe one National League Championship.

I have attended games at Minute Maid Park in Houston and the venom Astros fans spewed against the Cardinals, in my opinion, was pure jealousy.

Why? No team/city in major leagues has the rich history (good and bad) and fandom that exists with the Cardinals and Yankees organizations. Only the LA Dodgers and maybe Boston and the Cubs come close.

A long rebuttal to much of this discussion could be made, but in all reality I pity those that see baseball and sports in general as being "just a game". I don't mean that insultingly, I truly mean that you don't know what you're missing. There are many reasons for this that I will be happy to detail if people want me to, but if you don't intuitively understand the romance of sports that attracts so many people to it, and why then they adopt that as a part of their identity, then I doubt a little essay here will convince you otherwise.

James Earl Jones can help though:

Not trying to be incendiary because again, I get it, however for the sake or argument:

Does someone look a little silly when they show up to a political rally wearing a t-shirt or stickers of other people's names cheering for a bunch of empty promises, pandering, and posturing?

blzhrpmd2 wrote:
Does someone look a little silly when they show up to a political rally wearing a t-shirt or stickers of other people's names cheering for a bunch of empty promises, pandering, and posturing?

No. It's a show of support. Identifying with a candidate and their positions is a way to broadcast your beliefs and values, and therefore your identity. I think someone who wears a Rand Paul (or insert Bernie Sanders) t-shirt does so to show enthusiasm for the ideas that Rand Paul stands for and support for his candidacy, not to pretend that they're Rand Paul. Same with wearing a Wainwright jersey. It shows support for the team he plays for, the way he plays the game, and perhaps, the way he carries himself as a person. For example, my favorite Cardinals player is Kolten Wong. Dude gets picked off to end a World Series game, responds in the most humble, heartbreaking manor, and then rebounds to have a great postseason the next season and a good career (so far). That's the type of person that I want to support for their sake, but also because those are characteristics that I want to champion (the perseverance, not the getting picked off part).

blzhrpmd2 wrote:Not trying to be incendiary because again, I get it, however for the sake or argument:

Does someone look a little silly when they show up to a political rally wearing a t-shirt or stickers of other people's names cheering for a bunch of empty promises, pandering, and posturing?

Oh totally. Like lots. Why else would the Daily Show(s) be so successful? But isn't dressing like a doofus part of the fun/ritual? It certainly makes it easier to identify your "kin" and the need for tribalism even in the modern era is very real.

There's this other phenomenon nowadays where it's not just good enough to like the thing you like, but all other people liking similar things have to be told their thing sucks, because no one wants to feel like they're just wasting time before their time is up. Sports is tailor made for this phenomenon. My favorite team > All other teams. Even if the selection of which team is your favorite is somewhat arbitrary and somewhat inconsequential. This is why if the Rams leave, I'm just going to take up woodworking on Autumn Sundays. These are the existential crises that a decade of s**t football watching cause to creep into your head.

ajwillikers wrote:

blzhrpmd2 wrote:
There's this other phenomenon nowadays where it's not just good enough to like the thing you like, but all other people liking similar things have to be told their thing sucks, because no one wants to feel like they're just wasting time before their time is up. Sports is tailor made for this phenomenon. My favorite team > All other teams.

Well it is competition. That's kind of the point.

shimmy wrote:Well it is competition. That's kind of the point.

A competition between the players of the game, yes, but not the observers (fans). But success of a team doesn't make a fan base better or worse than another, well financially it does as people don't want to invest time or money in bad entertainment.

The only competition among fans is the opportunity cost of their time and money that could be spent on other hobbies. But if this is the cost/benefit analysis best hobby then enjoy to your hearts content.

framer wrote:Yep. It takes years and years of intense work to make it to the majors. Only the smallest fraction have what it takes. I'm not saying they deserve mega-millions, but they certainly do earn it.

Exactly. For those complaining about what professional athletes make, well, if they had 40,000 people paying money to see them do their job every night of the week then they would be making that type of money too.

As the All Star Break is upon us, this is definitely an interesting season with just as many concerns as accolades. Watching this team the last few weeks it is tough to figure out how they have been as successful as their record shows. The offense is so weak at critical times and fundamentally they leave much to be desired. Youth and injuries play a big role, however, the Pirates were a great example of a lineup capable of strong, efficient at bats up and down the lineup. I'll happily let Pittsburgh enjoy July dramatics for now, but it seems clear they have the chops to threaten to take the division as long as the Cards can't move runners over and hit with men in scoring position better.

I hope this limp into the Mid Summer Classic serves as a wake up call. It will be interesting to see what if any moves are made over the next month. This may be the worst best team ever.