freecounterpoint: France is #1!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

France is #1!

Well, in some fields.

9 comments:

The Darkroom said...: fuck - you guys can sit for hours on end watching a bunch of airheads failing to wack a ball with a wooden stick. This has the advantage of being entertaining at least.; 7/19/2006 9:23 PM
Tecumseh said...: Hitting the ball with a bat beats the crap out of a spitting contest, any day of the week. Besides, most ballplayers can spit a mouthful of chewing tobacco much better than a French spitting champion ever could!; 7/19/2006 11:55 PM
Anonymous said...: Another International Sport the USA has fallen into shameful failure...If only Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were about.

AA; 7/20/2006 2:36 AM
The Darkroom said...: Hitting the ball with a bat beats the crap out of a spitting contest, any day of the week
This is the most absurd statement i have read on this blog so far. Most time they don't hit the ball. watching paint dry is more entertaining, hearing a kenny g / barry manilow duet is less offensive to the senses.

Besides, most ballplayers can spit a mouthful of chewing tobacco much better than a French spitting champion ever could!
yes but can they spit bigorneaux? are they even aware of the existence of this noble creature ?; 7/20/2006 7:17 AM
The Darkroom said...: My intolerance towards this activity comes from a place of deep psychological trauma: the stuff that makes the new age crowd beg the moon for the power of healing (as you know, we all deserve to heal).

Having to participate in a so-called "team-building outing" consisting of watching the Oakland team, I found myself stuck between rows of grossly overweight natives, the girth of which being enhanced by sacks of popcorn as large as barbara bush's derriere placed on their lap. The motion of the indegeneous creatures was limited to arm to mouth motion and possibly a half-baked effort at standing up wobbling when some anthem was played by a terrible orchestra. As you might imagine, it was impossible to find a drinkable beer before taking place in the gradins so one couldn't get oneself into a drunken stupor to alleviate the pain: there was no escaping the supplice.

To make matters worse, both teams played badly - at least that is what i was told, and one consequence of that observation was that the game would continue on indefinitely. Much grunting occured to break up the monotony when a player actually managed to whack the ball but most times that didn't happen and hour after long hour the players rotated in an endless dance of inarticulate motions, somewhat akin to when one tries repeatedly (and fails) to catch a mosquito overhead.

So what is it with you people and this game ? haven't you heard of masturbation ?; 7/20/2006 7:59 AM
Tecumseh said...: Maybe MFT or JJ want to defend the honor of the national pastime? I myself think of it as an acquired taste -- at first, it also seemed absurd, but after a while, if you really pay attention, learn the subtle points, and if you catch some good games, there are flashes of interest in there.

But I agree -- going to the ballpark is a mistake. Last time I did that was in Oakland (yes, the same team!) and it was a punishment to watch the game, most of the time, in big part because of all those idiots around munching continuously on horrible junk food, swilling undrinkable beer, and talking loud nonsense. So no argument from me on that: the only way to watch baseball is on TV -- just switch off if the game is bad, stay on if it's good (well, after slightly redefining "good" in this context).; 7/20/2006 11:55 AM
Arelcao Akleos said...: I went to one Red Sox game in my youth. The crowd was interested, and so it must have been a "good" game, but it bored me stiff. I don't dislike baseball, I just am totally indifferent to it.
Fortunately, I'd a better grouping of neighboring fans than Pepe had. Yes, there was a loquaciously loudmouthed Irishman from South Boston, but he was still young enough [&,apparently, "wealthy" enough, in at least some way] to have brought three, three, three gorgeous girlfriends clad only in halter tops and short shorts. I assume they were all girlfriends inasmuch as they entertained the local crowd, in the plenitude of lulls in the game, with obvious signs of physical affection.
That day I cursed the gods for making me into a short, squat Portuguese, when so clearly the reward was greater on the taller, handsomer, Irish, side of things.
Oh, yes, I think the Red Sox beat the White Sox that day...but who cares?.; 7/20/2006 4:39 PM
Arelcao Akleos said...: That is an extraordinary photo, AI. At first I thought it an aging Adam Sandler promoting a sequel to "Waterboy"; 7/20/2006 4:52 PM
Tecumseh said...: I had a period, in the late 80s, early 90's when I followed semi-closely the game, especially the Red Sox. One thing I found out creates interest is paying attention to the statistics, over long periods: merely watching a game in isolation is not that significant, and it tends to produce that feeling of stupefaction you guys describe. Once you start knowing the at-bat avegages, the odds on various palys, etc, things start to make more sense. But, once I lost track of what's going on (after a particularly dissapointing Red Sox season), it was hard to get back in the mood, so I kinda gave up. But you should talk to a real connoiseur, especially if you are statistically inclined -- you may get a better appreciation of the game than by watching random people in the stands getting bored.; 7/20/2006 7:16 PM