Old Style Sports

Too early for the 4th of July.

I was at the Angels vs. White Sox series last weekend & took a couple quick snapshots. All photos are courtesy of yours truly:

This park paved the path for today’s new ballparks. And since they shaved off a couple of rows of seating up top in nosebleedland, it’s not as cavernous. The concourses are pretty wide, the seats are comfortable (I was in the bleachers and had no problems!), and they of course have the bullpen bar, a restaurant, and the fundamentals area for kids. Apart from that, the grass is beautiful:

But Torii Hunter playing on it is even better. This guy is a tremendous athlete. He made a couple of great wide-ranging catches in the outfield. He handles hecklers well, too. This was my third time at the game, but here’s my lasting image of the park:

The kid to the left was obnoxiously drunk for the first inning before he and his girlfriend dehydrated in center field. Fans like these can more commonly be found in the outfield at Fenway. He was heckled much more than Torii Hunter by myself, and others around me. I don’t know what it is, and maybe I just pay attention to it more now, but I think the culture of going to a baseball game has changed. I’m guilty of it too - no doubt there.

Why do people who go to the game need to spend a hundred bucks on beer and get wrecked? Usually I just like to eat peanuts & have a couple beers at the game, but every so often it does get out of control… What do you like to do when you go out to the ballgame? Leave a comment!

Photo courtesy of canyouseethesunset.com

Not For Long.

According to this article from MSN, the average NFL career lasts just three about three years. As much as we all hate athletes bitching and moaning about not getting paid, you really can’t blame guys in the NFL. You never know what’s going to happen.

Take a look at Javon Walker. After being outed by Brett Favre for bitching about wanting more money, he ends his holdout only to tear his ACL the following year. The Packers ended up trading him to the Broncos where he signed a lucrative contract, only to under-perform and fight injuries. Hey, he got paid though.

So I guess you can’t blame the latest contract debacle as Brian Urlacher is begging for more $ in the wake of Lance Briggs’ big money deal. It’s amazing that he was able to get Jerry Angelo & the McCaskeys to open up their wallets for him, so Urlacher wants in on some of that - especially because he’s at the end of his career.

It’s just a shame that he had to do it this way. Your star player shouldn’t be crying for more cash.

Then again, he shouldn’t have to.