The wave

As a result of some borderline elitism displayed at the popular Athletics Nation website, I've decided to find out the history of The Wave.

Having grown up in Sacramento and not having much money or transportation, the game or two that we were able to attend at the Colosseum each year was extremely special. With televised games being very limited to non cable subscribers, I gained my love for the A's though Bill King and Ray Fosse. Any trip to the Coliseum was a chance for me to see, to feel, and to participate in the game. The voice of Roy Steele on the PA, the dot races, the hat game, the trough urinals, having my ears bleed to shouts of "Red Ropes!"-- it was all part of the experience. I remember fondly how we'd sit down by the visiting bullpen and taunt the pitches with a chorus of "dooooooooOOOOOO!! DOOOOOOooooooo" chants.

And then, there's the wave. Ah, the wave.

I've often wondered why there has been so much bitterness directed by A's fans towards the wave. Many say that it's an immature distraction that taints the game, and they'd rather have needles in their eyeballs than participate. Others argue that it screws up the pitchers' deliveries and that its use should be restricted to blowouts, top halfs of innings, or any time Loaiza's pitching. With all the wave-hatin' going on, it comes as a surprise to me to find that we may owe it all to an A's fan. It turns out that we're nearing the one-year anniversary of the last wave-related diary, and I believe it's time for another.

Krazy George is the man to whom we may owe it all. According to Krazy George, he accidentally invented the wave at an Edmonton Oilers game, where he was trying to get people on the other side of the stadium to jump up and raise their arms in response to his side's cheers. The response was delayed, and then the adjacent sections also jumped to their feet until the whole stadium had been encircled by The Wave. Krazy George then took it with him to Oakland, where as a rabid A's fan, he orchestrated the maneuver with 47000 fans on the 15th of October, 1981. Since then, it has spread like a virus to other venues and has become a staple in sports.

I attended my first A's game in 1989 against the Red Sox. The A's lost, but I fell in love with the atmosphere of the Oakland Coliseum. It is easy to see why those who have the opportunity to attend many games might just want to soak it in and ingore the antics of the fans. To some, baseball is a diversion. To others, it is an art. I respect the right of those die-hard fans to not participate in the wave, or to use the dot races as an opportunity to visit the beloved troughs. I just hope that you'll understand those of us that don't get a chance to come out to the ball park very often. You were there before the introduction of certain antics, including the wave. But it's all I've ever known.

Maybe we can pool our strength and do away with the "You Suck!!" chants.

In this old discussion there are a few good reasons why the wave is a distraction.

Opening Day less than a week away

On a more positive note, opening day for is just four days from today. It's going to be exciting to finally see some games, and not have to deal with all this steroid talk. The reason brings a plethora of intriguing questions:

How will the A's fare with the new pitching rotation?

After trading two of the Big Three, it would seem that the A's are in for a rough year. However, the guys they got in return, combined with Rich Harden's emergence as a legitimate ace, should keep the A's in contention down the stretch.

How will the Giants fare now that Barroids is hurt?

Taking away an almost sure baserunner figures to hurt the Giants. But they as well have picked up a good amount of talent. In Moises Alou, they now have a second power threat that they haven't had for a while. If their pitching can hold up, they have a good shot at taking the division, with or without Bonds.

Who will be the rookie of the year in both leagues?

I won't even speculate about the National League, but in the AL it figures to be a nice race between Nick Swisher of the A's and a couple of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

How can a team named "The The Angels Angels of Anaheim" exist?

Will the Sox be able to repeat?*

How will Randy Johnson pitch for the Yanks?

Will the Tigers continue upward?

Stay tuned, 'cause an exciting season of baseball is on the way.

*no.

Steroids

So, with less than a week before the start of the Major League Baseball season, I think I'll weigh in on what's been going on. There has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire are worthy of the Hall of Fame. Look, players in all eras have done whatever they could to get a "leg up on the pile." While steroids are dangerous and are obviously performance enhancing, I wouldn't say that they're the only thing contributing to McGwire and Bonds' success. Sure, if they did indeed take them, it's wrong and should be made public. However, it's not like McGwire wasn't a monster from the start of his career. In his rookie season, he hit 49 homers, and there's no accusations that he was taking them at that point in his career.

Bonds also has one of the best eyes in the history of the game. While their alleged steroid abuse does diminish their accomplishments, I don't see how it can reasonably said that they wouldn't have been great players anyway. Perhaps I'm a little biased, as both players are linked to my two favorite teams. But strength, while important for home run hitters, is not nearly as important as being able to see the ball well out of the pitcher's hand or being able to time your swing correctly. Both of those guys were already pretty strong before their alleged steroid used started.

So, considering all that, as well as the fact that people such as Ty Cobb, Gaylord Perry, and Babe Ruth are all in the Hall, I'd say include the people from the 'roid era. Besides, how can you know who has taken steroids? Is it fair that guys like McGwire are singled out while supposedly hundreds of other players have used the same substances? If everybody's using them, how does that make you unworthy? To clarify, I do not condone steroid use. Maybe the records don't mean as much as they would have. But to still be heads and shoulders above other athletes that might be using the same drugs is a sign of superior talent. Time will tell if they are accepted, but I hope they are.

So much for homework

Today was supposed to be spent doing homework all day. Instead, I was on the line with the travel agency and Continental Airlines trying to figure out how the heck plane tickets for some time next year jumped $230 each the day after I made my reservations. Somehow I doubt that a bunch of people all of the sudden decided to fly from Salt Lake to Guatemala City on January 19th next year. My new conspiracy theory is that since I made reservations but didn't pay for the tickets immediately, they felt obligated to hike up the prices just in case I decided that I really wanted to go. ARGH! Frustrating. Needless to say, I eventually got my tickets for the original price I had been quoted. My mom, however, had to deal with a $130 price jump per ticket. At least it's still cheaper than last time. We are, however, looking forward to going to Guatemala next year. There are a lot of people and places to see, and I'm excited that Stef will get to see my mission land. It's also nice to have the money out of my bank accout, so that I know how much we really have left in it.

Music theory, sight reading, midi orchestration

I went to the library today and checked out a couple books. One is about sight reading and how it seems to be a matter of reading vertically and in patterns, as opposed to horizontally and note for note. I learned a little bit about what I need to do to improve my sight reading. Most of it is just cramming the scales and rhythms into my head. The rest is practicing vertical reading, line by line. I think I can do it. The second book is just about sight reading in general, including a few common practices to help one improve.

The other book was about music theory in tonal music, which is mostly review, but will greatly help in my composition efforts. I need to know what colors are available before I can start painting.

In the library, I tried to check out a book that helps me become familiar with the ranges of the instruments in an orchestra. Knowing this will help me as I try to compose for all the instruments that I don't know how to play. With this new Synful Orchestra DXi plugin for Sonar, I can make stuff sound pretty realistic. I just need to understand each instrument's role better. Anyway, the book was in process, meaning they'd gotten it but hadn't yet catalogued it. It seems it's ready to be check out now, though, so I will drop by the library in the morning.

Festivities

After work, we had a short meeting to discuss some key concepts and to have some free food, and then we went to BYU to play some wallyball as a branch. Wallyball is volleyball played off the walls in a raquetball court. Not sure whether I'd enjoy myself, I went with some reservations. It ended up being a blast. I got to spike the ball into my manager's face (poor Suzanne) on a couple occasions. We dominated.

For all you who say I'm boring

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

You are a good old-fashioned six-sided cube, otherwise known as a d6. Others know you to be plain, predictable, conservative, average, ordinary, and downright boring. You prefer to describe yourself as dependable, honest, practical and trustworthy. People usually know what to expect from you, since you rarely hold any surprises. You hate to make decisions, and if forced to decide, you'll always fall back on how it was done in the past. You always order the same thing at your favorite restaurant, and your jokes, while funny, are never too offensive. It seems that you are well liked, but maybe that's simply because there's nothing to hate.

You're completely right.

I do, however, take issue with the second to last part. The only time I ever cross the line is when I somehow manage to make my way back to the other side. I'm always offending people.

At work, we're taking donations for the American Cancer Society. Here's a true story.

Co-worker: Hey, do you like purple (light urple?)

Customer: Sure, why?

Co-worker: We're taking donations for the American Cancer Society. If you donate, you get one of these neat purple bracelets.

Me: With my tact, I'd ask a customer, "Do you like cancer?"

Co-workers and Me: ROFLOMG!!!!!!!!!111111

Customer: I have cancer.

Me: ....

Co-worker, after customer has left:BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

^Story of my life