Post Game Recap

        I was going to write something after the Giants game, but they went into extra innings and lost. Really don’t feel like writing anything, except to reiterate how much I am NOT impressed with Brandon Belt. Yeah, I know he has power and can go on an extra base hitting streak, but he also can have a multi-K day just as easily. And those streaks really kill you.

        I know, I couldn’t do anything close to what he does; I don’t think I could stand in the batter’s box as a 90 mile an hour fastball shoots past me, let alone make contact. Professional athletes are on a whole different level (I’ll save the golf debate for later). But I think it is fair to offer my criticism as a fan, for after all, the product is for us. If we aren’t happy about a particular player or team, that is part of the fun of following sports, to bitch when things or players tick us off.

        Disappointment is a major component of the sports fan experience. After all, there is only one overall winner of each league. Everyone else, and their fans, are ultimately losers. And the thrill of being THE champion only lasts until the next season, and with ESPN covering pre-season training camps, drafts days, and general managers’ bowel movements, seems to start earlier and earlier each year.

        The internet has certainly intensified this effect in fans. Now every bar discussion about season stats, lifetime starts, and historical records can immediately have supporting evidence presented through the smart phone. The time of winning a bar bet on obscure trivia has gone out with the pay phone and collecting numbers on bev napkins.

        It also has taken the vitriol to a wider and more public audience than ever before. The anonymity offered by the internet has made the discourse more vicious and personal than before. If you are going to say Brady is a smug, punk ass, cheating prick, shouldn’t your name be attached to it? (My name is at the bottom, and if you’re reading this Tom, man has your life taken a dive.)

        I think it’s OK to ride the pros a little. Their compensation is certainly worth enough to cover a few comments by working stiffs that their swing has a hole that a watermelon would get through. Right, Brandon?