Senator Kerry is having a rough go, and I hate to kick a guy when he's down. Joseph Epstein pens a nice paean to Wrigley Field and the wonders of baseball in this week's Weekly Standard: Take Me Out to the Ballgame. One paragraph hit a nerve:
But the greatest advantage of all in Wrigley Field is that it does not have a scoreboard on which televised images are shown. This means that one doesn't have to endure the sound of trumpets drawing one's attention to an immense television screen where a race of M&Ms is underway. Nor is any but organ music played at Wrigley Field, and this, happily, only intermittently, which gives one a chance to talk to friends between innings. Unlike NBA games, where no time without entertainment is allowed--bring on the dancing girls, clowns, small blimps--at Wrigley Field one feels the sweet slow leisure of a summer afternoon, given over to the fine but trivial pursuit of watching men do superbly what as a boy one did merely enthusiastically.
But my deep, dark secret is that I hate to go to the games at the Pepsi Center (affectionately, "the Can"). It is non-stop crap. Am I the only one who wants to watch hockey? The whistle blows, we'd better play some Led Zeppelin song. There truly isn't one second that you can discuss the game with your companions.
I know, this qualifies me for instant membership in the grouchy old man club. But I'll take the TV or a minor league or college game.
Go AVS! I'll be watching on TV.
Posted by jk at April 27, 2004 11:56 AMAmen brother, amen. I blame it on Pong, that very first video game of so long ago. Ever since Pong the images have come faster and louder and more invasive. I remember Denver Spurs games from back in the day; just an organ player and a hockey game to watch. I went to a vikings game in the Dumpty Dome last year and it was one continuous barrage of flashing lights and ear splitting noise with a bit of football thrown in for good measure. Such is the pace of life...MTV style quick cuts. We live in a world of DiCaprio's Shakespeare and I long for Olivia's. And I long for Bear's baseball, the way it used to be before the Rockies; the way it used to be before Pong.
Posted by: sugarchuck at April 28, 2004 09:36 AMWe do agree on the problem, Chaz, but I don't know if I can join you on Pong's culpability.
Pong also grew up to improve the TV experience of watching sports, and I always said Pong crushed the Taliban and ousted Saddam Hussein.
The point is one of balance. I don't need to go back to married couples on TV in twin beds. But, just 'cause we can, do we have to have everybody in bed together all the time?
It seems that a little technology could improve the experience: scoring, instant replay, players' stats all seem nice on the "JumboTron."
I lean more towards blaming MTV. Constant over-stimulation and desensitivity.
This is what's called "too much of a good thing." OK, sometimes it's not always good, but the underlying idea is good. Have you noticed the difference in dramatic effect between old movies and modern ones, when the latter have dramatic soundtracks and the former have none? Some of those old movies, though the plot and acting may be superb, are quite "flat."
You have observed the same thing at live sporting events but the problem is that the program manager doesn't understand that one of the most important elements of a dramatic soundtrack is, silence... the dramatic pause.
Posted by: johngalt at April 30, 2004 11:14 AM