Tonight I took in baseball at the University of Houston.  I occasionally write about the fine job Rayner Noble has done with the program in the short time he's been at UH.  It was another stellar effort by Rayner's team tonight.  Kyle Crowell was dominant, and the hitters put seven runs up in two different innings, running the bases with reckless abandon, playing solid defense, and making things happen..

At the end of the game, I was disappointed in our fans.  With a 14-2 lead and 2 outs, everyone was just sitting instead of applauding this fine effort by the currently #9-ranked team in the country playing their last regular-season home series of the year!  It was unbelievable.  At UT and Texas A&M, the other two state university baseball powerhouses in this state, people stand up and cheer their team in a similar situation.  So I began making a significant amount of noise trying to get our fans to stand up and give their #9 ranked Cougars a hand for a job well done.

I didn't hear her at the time -- which is fortunate for her I suppose -- but Callie told me later some woman behind me took offense at my enthusiasm, apparently, bitching that we were AHEAD by a score of 14-2, there was no reason to cheer!  I suppose one should cheer when the team has played like crap and is LOSING 14-2? 

Honestly, I would think that someone who had paid admission to this tradition-rich game would WANT to recognize a job well done.  Baseball at the collegiate level is rarely played with the excellence and zeal that Rayner's team brings out almost every game  But I don't find the fact that some people didn't want to cheer this fine effort so troubling (although it IS troubling in its own right, and also says something about a person's sense of life and values -- I believe in always applauding excellence in any endeavor, if possible) as the fact that this mean, bitter little woman resented someone who expressed enthusiam and appreciation to the guys and tried to rally some other baseball "fans" to do the same.  Doesn't that say a great deal about the woman's sense of life?

I'm housesitting over the next few days, which means the journal entries may be posted irregularly.

Copyright (c) 2000, Kevin L. Whited