It Ain't Football Season Yet

So have I mentioned the New Britain Rock Cats?

Go Red So... uh, I mean Rock Cats!

Like it or not, the proper football season isn't kicking off until mid-August, and something has to fill the void. I wouldn't suggest baseball on TV, which tends to be boring. But what about at the park?

It's amazing what a difference your actual physical presence at a game makes. When you're actually in the park there's something real about the crack of the bat, the dust that gets kicked up by a slide into home plate, and the cheer of a crowd you're smack in the middle of. Baseball on TV has a dreary dreamlike quality to it: you see the game, but it's almost like it isn't really happening. Just a lot of pictures on the screen. No smells of dirt and hot dogs (hopefully not in the same place) and beer and that slight metallic tinge you get from the bleachers. Sounds are muted. There's just no energy to it.

Which is why I find it funny that I'm not sure that I like football in the stadium more than I like watching it at home. The level of passion at an in-person game is intense--even an only partly full Rentschler Field has a gigawatt of spark to it. But foobaw is a tremendously complex game, with multiple camera angles that help viewers understand what just happened in the middle of the clouds of dust and heaps of players, and pauses in the action that are perfect for instant replay. It's more of mental experience at home, and a heady, emotional one on the field. Both are great.

"But coach, they have sharp corners!"

Hmm, did I just fall back into football chat in a post about baseball in a football blog?

In any case, I have fond memories of attending New Britain Red Sox games with my parents and aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents back in the day. And also attending Rock Cats games. I'm not bitter about the 1994 switch to being a Twins affiliate, though I think young me was a little disappointed in it. But this isn't Minnesota's team or Boston's team, it's New Britain's team, and there's a certain pride in supporting the local guys, even if the glamor isn't there.

Check em' out this year. The team is currently sitting at 27-17 and looks like a winner. Meaning they have talent you could be seeing in a different, much more expensive uniform next year.

Anything else good about going to see a ballgame in person? Beer and nachos. Yeah yeah, you could have those at home, but there's a charming, picnic quality to Bud in a plastic cup.

Saying Goodbye to One of the Greats

Macho Man Randy Savage died today in a car accident in Tampa, Florida. he was 58.

This really sucks. Randy was the only wrestler awesome enough to play heel to Hulk Hogan, and even thought he's been out of the wrestling biz for years now, he's always been remembered for his iconic voice. I used to love pro wrestling when I was a kid. He's a piece of my childhood that I'm very sad to say goodbye to.

Godspeed man. I hope you're elbow-dropping angels in heaven.

And We're Back!

Which is more than anyone can say for the NFL right now. Zing!

With greater attention being given to the lockout, and to the UFL's possible role during the lockout, I think it's time the league started to think about looking into (gasp! Horror!) raising ticket prices.

Now, I get that this is not going to be a popular opinion. People tend to get very upset when the prices of things go up. Just look at all the rage directed at the recent surge in gas prices.

So why should the UFL look into a small price hike on tickets? Well, this Stanford University study suggests that a higher price tag may actually be a factor in how people perceive the value of their purchases. The study focused on wine, but its not a great leap to apply it to events. People still bash the UFL for being "bush league" or "semi-pro" when the quality of the play is actually not that far from an NFL game. What does it say for that perception when a ticket is $15, compared to a comparable NFL ticket that might be $90 or more? It suggests that what you are getting is of considerably lower value. Commissioner Hugyghue has been quoted as saying that the price of a UFL game was comparable to a night out at the theater. Trouble is, movies are seen as cheap entertainment. Pro sports carry the notion of the elite: that you are watching the best there is out there.

A price bump--say, $5-$10 or so--doesn't push the ticket price out of reach of the average family, helps build the idea of the UFL as a professional league (when prices are not as far out of range of the NFL's) and gives the UFL a much needed revenue boost. I'm a writer, sporadically employed and often working for free (sigh, thank you very much English degree) but even I wouldn't complain if I had to scrape up another $5 for season tickets.

Until a Few Days Ago...

...I hadn't really realized how much of a homer I was. My wife and I went to Maine for our anniversary. We took my car with its Colonials license plate holder. The key is dangling off of a keychain that also holds a Colonials mini banner. I took my Colonials hoodie because the weather was chilly and rainy on and off. I took my laptop to get some work done ( and blessedly did very little) and brought with it my Colonials mousepad.

Something about being so far north of CT just really made it hit home. I can't guarantee that any of this paraphernalia raised awareness of the team, but we can hope.

Been a Little While, Hasn't it Blog?

So goes it when you're trying to write the next great American novel. Or a novel, at least.

Seriously. I'm writing a novel. Nothing to do with the UFL or football at all, but it has eaten up a lot of my time lately. The lack of updates has certainly not been because there's been nothing to talk about. For starters, the Colonials' protected players list has been out since late April and contained notable names such as Ahmad Carrol and Colt Brennan. Both pictured below.

Colt wants to get rid of the ball.

Carroll wants the ball.

But in even bigger news, the UFL draft took place yesterday night at 8:00, entirely over Twitter. Hartford held the first pick and used it, to my surprise, on Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson. The move may have been necessitated by the lack of a commitment by 2010 starting quarterback Josh McCown, who would not or could not give Jerry Glanville a definite answer as to any future he might have with the team.

I don't blame McCown for wanting to move on, given what he lost by sticking with the Colonials. I'd also note that despite the fact he had what was statistically the best year of any UFL passer, his stats on the year are buoyed by two tremendous performances at the beginning of the year. Without games 1 and 2, McCown has a 60.36 passer rating and only about a 52% completion percentage.

1st pick in the 2011 UFL draft, seen here looking for a  high five.

In short we'll be fine with Brennan or Johnson, whoever starts for the year. Johnson's interview on ESPN 1410 today shows he's a class act. He said he was thankful for the opportunity to play for the team, which is a good attitude to have. I'm sure he wants to be in the NFL, but you have to take the opportunities you're given. Perhaps when he's proven that his shoulder has recovered from his surgery last year the other league will come a knocking.

In any event, the complete details are up here. Hartford spent numerous picks early on offensive line talent, and sought out help on the D-line with its later picks. Other notables are center Cecil Newton Jr., brother of quarterback Cam Newton, and running back Phil Tanner out of Tennessee.

They'll have to look towards free agency for wide receivers. Here's hoping Markee White returns.