Still working on the reviews and I’m half way there. On the plane ride back from Madison, I kept thinking that the Wisconsin football game might be the best stadium experience of this journey yet. Everything was right about it. The town, the fans, the atmosphere, the stadium…just great all around. Then I saw this article from the USA Today and then I compiled the review and rankings to see Camp Randall Stadium score a whopping 83.5 out of 100. That’s the highest yet, moving past Fenway Park (which has yet to be cleaned up). Man, what an awesome place. Another great facility, the UW Field House will be up soon. Anyway, here are some random sports thoughts (more like venting), bullet-point style:
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– Starting with baseball, why does every team have to celebrate winning the Division Series and the LCS like they just won the World Series? Don’t get me wrong, I love a winning celebration…it’s one of the best things in sports. But c’mon, you just won a playoff series, you really feel the need to pop champagne for that? Could you imagine the Chicago Blackhawks going nuts like that for a Western Conference Semifinal win?
– Staying on baseball, it would be awesome if hitters had to stay in the batters box…that would speed the game up a half hour or so
– Another game that doesn’t need to be sped up is College Basketball. It’s nice when a sport finishes in a crisp two hours. However, there are way too many timeouts at the end of games. It completely disrupts the flow. Is there really a need for each team to have six, especially when a ton are saved for the last minute.
– Absolutely monstrous game for the US Men’s National Team tonight in Soccer. They need a win or draw against Guatemala to ensure a place in the final round (the hexagonal) in World Cup Qualifying. On that note, Ian Darke (ESPN) and Arlo White (NBCSN) are two of the greatest things going in soccer right now. They make watching the beautiful game that much better as their announcing is exquiste.
– I’m a big tennis player/fan and I’ve never understood the whole apologizing for winning a point off the net cord thing. Your not sorry that you clipped the net cord and won. I understand it is sportsmanship and what not, but I’d love to see the first pro not put up his hand in apology. In fact, it would be even better when the ridiculous media bombards him with what a jerk he is…to reply “I hit the net on purpose”.
– CBS is atrocious at the end of games. I like to watch the post-game victory and celebration stuff. The Eye network is so obsessed with getting to their precious prime-time line-up (Up Next: CSI Wichita!) that they cut away so fast and rob fans that enjoyment. It happens every week with golf and tennis’ US Open this year was a joke, but the team sports are bad too. 99% of fans don’t have the opportunity to attend a big game live. Imagine if your school wins an NCAA Basketball National Championship and you are celebrating /watching your favorite team celebrate and CBS cuts away within two minutes to go to commercial (like they did in 2003…as the video stops as they go to break)
– Dear PGA…Can you just make the winner of the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup Winner? Enough with these ridiculous calculations to try and figure everything out. The tournament is select enough (30 players) to still value the regular season and playoffs. Thankfully, it’s worked out the last few years, but it is so silly to have two champions, like in 2007 and 2009, where the Tour Champion essentially gets pushed aside
– Lastly, the line score at the bottom of TV sports broadcasts. Has that finally run its course and gone away? I am eagerly awaiting that nice, tidy little box score in the upper corner to return everywhere.
Stadium and Arena Visits 