Why Sports Matter

The most universal experience in America, historians say, is to have been uprooted. Rooting is a pressing national need. The human being needs roots, because the pretense to infinity, the search for total universality, may be proper to the spirit but not the body, and whoever commits himself to such a search dooms himself to the disintegration of the embodied self, which is death.
-Michael Novak. "Rooting, Agon"

Dallas Sports

In the last sixteen months the Metroplex has hosted the NBA All-Star game, the World Series, three college bowl games, the Super Bowl and now the NBA finals. Add to that, two of our universities went to bowl games (one of which was the Rose Bowl) and our MLS team was in the finals last season. Not shabby at all.

Opening Day

Thomas Boswell was right, time begins on Opening Day. Opening Day should be a national holiday. When every baseball fan still can reasonably cherish the hope of going to the World Series. The day, at the end of which, half the teams are in first place, the other half are in last. What defines a successful season, beyond winning more games than you lost? I would posit the argument that it depends on which team you are discussing. The Yankees, the Phillies, and the Red Sox will not consider it a success unless they win the World Series. The Twins will consider it a success if they win the American League Central. The Royals and the Pirates would consider 82 wins a successful season. Where do the Texas Rangers stand in all this? I believe winning the Series would constitute exceptional success. If they win the American League West, that will be success. Now, the people who are paid money to discuss these things are saying the Rangers should win it all. They say this for a very cynical reason. The odds are the Rangers will not win it all, and the writers can then criticize the team to their heart's content. You should have kept Cliff Lee. Losing Chuck Greenberg was critical. Should have traded Michael Young. The general manager is inept, and so on. Sports reporters in the Dallas area think of themselves as critics and live to denigrate any professional effort. I believe this attitude developed in the 1960s, and it had to do with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys from the late 60s to the early 80s were a team that defined success by winning the Super Bowl. There are few teams, college or professional, in any sport or any era that can say this realistically. I have already mentioned the teams in baseball. In football, it is probably New England, and, maybe Pittsburgh. The Lakers, Heat, and Celtics wear this distinction in basketball, as do the Red Wings in hockey. In college football, Alabama, Notre Dame, Florida, and Oklahoma. Others have different measures of success. Ohio State is content with winning the Big Ten. Maryland with going to a bowl game. Different expectations, different teams, different realities.

Worst Sports Weekend Ever (No, but darn close!)

Reason number one as to why I do not bet on sporting events: I go with my heart.
For me, this weekend just passed in the sports world was a bad one. Alabama lost. Sewanee lost. Baylor lost. Ohio State won. Notre Dame won. The Cowboys lost (at least that was to Vince Young and Tennessee). At least SMU won and Maryland did not play. Then there was baseball.
Things were looking up Saturday afternoon. The Rangers were up two games to none with Saturday and Sunday's games in Arlington. Michael Young and Ian Kinsler were hitting again in the game 2 victory Thursday and it looked as if Tampa Bay could not buy a clue. In game three it was neck and neck until about the sixth inning and then the Rangers bullpen imploded. Today the Rangers were behind but had the bases loaded and Vladimir Guerrero at the plate. They got nothing. Our hope resides in the left arm of Cliff Lee Tuesday night.