|
Post by lowbren on May 2, 2007 5:39:53 GMT -6
I have a couple of coworkers that are not sports fans. No loyalty to any team at all. They were offered a couple of tickets to the new Baum Stadium a few years ago. To this day, they make every effort to get back there as often as possible. I ask them about the change of heart and their response was that they had a blast. The energy in the park kept drawing them back. This isn't true across the board. I've seen a few that show up maybe one game a year, move the people sitting in their seats, and sit on their hands the whole game. GGRRRRR.
|
|
|
Post by georgecolevet on May 2, 2007 8:02:25 GMT -6
Heath, I may not have articulated well, but my point is that for 4 year (if you're lucky), you have the same players to cheer for. Now, does that mean the whole dang team? nope. but, you usually have a core group of players that you sort of know, you recognize on the field, and you can cheer for. Look at Robo. Love it when he gets in the game. Have loved watching him since his first year. In the majors, you can root for a guy one year, and the next he can be on the team you hate the most. In college, while your team might lose a few players every year, you still have that main group that you know. And when you remember some hi-light of their career, it's always a hi-light at Arkansas. Heck, I can't remember which team most of my favorite MLB players were with when they did anything. ***and somebody on here better not bring up age.
|
|
|
Post by vandy05 on May 2, 2007 10:42:20 GMT -6
Heath, of course the college roster is dynamic, but I think the school and many times state loyalty is part of the reason college fans feel closer to college players. In the major college sports we follow them from their last two years of high school through the recruiting process, through perhaps a redshirt year, keep our fingers crossed that they'll stay for all 4 years of eligibility, watch them get drafted and hope they have a good rookie season in the pros. I wish our guys good luck in the pros and hope they do well, but I don't follow as closely. However, that means as a fan I've followed the same athlete closely for 8 seasons. Sure there are transfers but for the most part, that athlete will always belong to on school for the rest of his life and probably bounce around to several professional teams through his career.
|
|
|
Post by Dr. HeathHog on May 2, 2007 12:26:50 GMT -6
You guys strengthen your arguement by pointing out that players become indelibly tied to the University, but I was just pointing out that the turnover for college baseball is probably greater than MLB. I'm not going to look up the statistics, but in general, I don't hink you have half a team turning over in a year at the MLB level. There is still usually a core of players who remain at leat over a 4 year stretch. It seems like guys are moving more often because it's over a longer period of time. If a player changes MLB teams every 3-4 years he becomes a journeyman. Plus you have to deal witht he fact that they aren't just leaving, they are going to a team that competes against you.
|
|
|
Post by vandy05 on May 2, 2007 13:20:53 GMT -6
I think one of the differences in roster consistancy between the MLB and college baseball is the combined turnover of your opposition. Sure you have a few big names that stick around and you remember, but in college where you're tied to the conference, I feel a lot of the names on the opposing roster are a bigger deal.
Any of you have a run-in with Josh Alley at UT(east)? Funny story about him: 2003 in Nashville he played left field as a frosh and we got onto him so good he fired a warmup ball up at our left field gathering after a few colorful remarks about his mother. The ball came back at him later in the inning with a nice Sharpied note from "Mom" regarding her plans for the rest of the afternoon. The ump wanted the area cleared and Corbin was on his way to get us out of there when the bullpen staff told him what happened and Corbin told the umpire we were staying. Two years later they started charging admission for the SRO crowd in the outfield that showed up to get on him all weekend.
All in all, I think that the nature of college sports makes the even the opposing rosters more personal to the fans. Such as when just a couple weeks ago at the Travelers game I got to see Landon Powell former catcher at USCe playing for Midland.
|
|
|
Post by ♣Drizzle™♣ on May 2, 2007 16:10:09 GMT -6
Maybe so, but the only person I care about mocking every time we see him is Raffo.
|
|
|
Post by otherhogjeepguy on May 2, 2007 16:52:20 GMT -6
A few examples of expansion: My dad went to his first Hogs game (besides one football game in LR) ever for the Illinois State series. He is coming back up here in June to cheer on the Hogs. We are recruiting people from Missouri who have become annual visitors. We are also spreading the cheer of Hogs play-by-play as my Grandma in SE Arkansas was hushed over the winning play at Georgia Saturday. I also taught a random kid sitting next to me from Indiana the William Tell cheer. He left with a razorback t-shirt. I talked our office into having a "team social" out in the pen. I like going to games so much I can't help but bring people with me. It is just plain entertaining to be at Baum.
|
|
|
Post by vandy05 on May 2, 2007 19:16:34 GMT -6
This may start off a whole new discussion, but how long have y'all been doing the William Tell Overture dance and how did that get started?
|
|
|
Post by otherhogbusguy on May 2, 2007 19:52:41 GMT -6
This may start off a whole new discussion, but how long have y'all been doing the William Tell Overture dance and how did that get started? i am pretty sure it started with Jim Robken in Barnhill Arena. That is as far back as i can remember it, anyway. He used to run around the concourse when they played it and end up somewhere in the stands, usually opposite the band section (which was in the NW corner of Barnhill) and spell out A R K A N S.. AS! and then run back to direct the last note in the band section. it was really cool. He had a pole with light bulbs installed like a sound meter, that would ALWAYS top out when he would hold the last note, revving up the crowd. When i was a student, we sat just underneath him there and man was it loud. he was A W E S O M E, and i would triple whatever the guy makes now to have him back. He was the innovator, not an imitator.
|
|
|
Post by vandy05 on May 2, 2007 19:59:27 GMT -6
Did he choreograph the dance routine also?
|
|
|
Post by HomerHog® on May 2, 2007 20:44:42 GMT -6
"The Ride" started with a couple of older guys who sat in the student section just above the band in the mid-90's. Some dumbos (same ones who started screaming "TROD" during the alma mater) who were actually mocking him started doing it in the lower part of the student section. It caught on and has been one of the dumbest things in sports since the wave for over a decade now. (Offense to IFG's intended.) **To be clear, running with the flag and waving it in front of the crowd is cool -- not quite as cool as Nox running behind the bleachers of George Cole-- but good. The ride and subsequent variations (carousel, etc.) rank just behind the wave.
|
|
|
Post by Charlie on May 2, 2007 21:19:11 GMT -6
Speaking of the wave....watching the UEFA semi-final replay today from Milan and the Italian football fans going crazy doing the wave! The wave: not just for dumb drunk Americans anymore.
|
|
|
Post by otherhogbusguy on May 2, 2007 21:28:36 GMT -6
Did he choreograph the dance routine also? see what homerhog wrote...no, robken didn't create the "ride". he just took what is obviously an upbeat song that is easy to get wound up over and made it something to REALLY get wound up over. the "ride".....it is funny...just not robken's
|
|
|
Post by Dr. HeathHog on May 2, 2007 22:41:15 GMT -6
Carousel... can be attributed to Candyman in conjunction with the IFG. Back when the regular move for the IFG was to just go back and forth over the opponents dugout during the song. Eventually we started forming a carousel circle for the 3rd measure (maybe not right term). Now it has evolved into the linear carousel where there is just up and down but no circular track. That is only done by the IFG and can be marked as lame.
But The Ride in general... No. Just awesome.
Also as we've said before getting to the dugout used to be much easier. We could actually ride our way across as we cut through eh front rows. Now it's an obstacle filled sprint to get to the other side
Speaking of ride, I think this train is sufficently derailed.
|
|
|
Post by ®2 gwaH ytraPa on May 3, 2007 5:54:10 GMT -6
Surely in all of this "Ride" derailing...someone is going to relate the "awful", "gruesome" night when it all came tumbling down on IFG Hognoxious. It was just an awful sight, one of the most tragic occassions on record in Baum history.
|
|