re: the Ducks

Ah, well, that's the way sports go. More often than not when you cheer for little guys and little teams and underdogs, you end up cheering for the folks that lose. The Ducks didn't have any quit in them yesterday, which I liked to see, but ultimately they just couldn't get it done.

I go back and forth on the issue of foul trouble and how the game was refereed. It's hard when their big guys seem to get a pass when they throw their weight around the rim, because they're just using their "natural athletic ability" while if your guys show good D in the paint, they get saddled with phantom fouls because how could they stop the unstoppable Gators without fouling?

It's water under the bridge now, but it reminds me why I find basketball so much harder to get into compared to other sports. Basketball has a lot of physical play, and a lot of fouls come on plays where both players are trying to get position and therefore get the foul called on the other. Especially when players are down by the basket, I can never really tell when a foul will be called. When the players don't have the ball there's always plenty of shoving, but who knows when it'll get called. Even when it comes to traveling, a seemingly simple enough rule, there's all the extra steps you can take, the shuffling that sometimes goes unnoticed, and the palming of the ball to consider. It's all very subjective, and since there's very little replay in basketball, the referees just have to go with their guts in a lot of cases.

Football has a lot of physical play and it's share of foul related frustrations, but their implementation of a replay system allows referees to look at some of the closer calls. Which gives fans, coaches, and players a chance at satisfaction, in game, when things are called. That doesn't mean there aren't a few problems: pass interference can be tricky to peg, and it also isn't reviewable; we've all heard that holding could be called on every play; and I still think that if you go up to catch the ball and then someone tackles you so you land out of bounds, you should be out. But because football is a physical game at it's core, you don't get the same trouble that you do in basketball, where referees are trying desperately to draw a line between okay contact and bad contact, and there's a lot of gray area and room for inconsistency.

Baseball doesn't have the problems that come from a contact sport. For the most part, umpires are simply expected to see where the ball goes and tell the players and fans what the call is. The strike zone can change day to day, yes, but the umpires need to be consistent, and the announcers calling the game will generally point out if the umpire has a fluctuating strike zone. So there's consistency and accountability and when I watch the game, there's very few moments where I'm feeling confused and/or angry at the umpires.

In short? I'm glad it's baseball season. I also want to reiterate how pleased I've been with the Ducks this season. It was nice to be able to cheer for a team from my school (I had a hard time cheering for the football team). I also have high expectations for them next year.

Hopefully, Porter will come back more powerful than we could ever imagine. Go little dude--I'll be watching you next year.