While survival instinct might be the underlying reason that the human brain focuses on negative aspects, I think we really seek the joy of order out of chaos. Beethovens' symphonies. Monet's paintings. The Golden Gate Bridge. Fredrick Law Ohlmsted community design. Talisien and Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright. You name it: everyone has their own sets of beauty archetypes.
While there may be stylistic & genre preference differences, we can generally discern dissonance from harmony, organized from disorganized, functional from dysfunctional, proportional from disproporoportional, etc. As a consequence, I believe that noting the negative is an aspect of the brain's process of seeking order by recognizing a system that's "flawed" and endeavoring to figure out how to fix those flaws. Successfully implementing the fix(es) results in more order and a "win" against nature's entropy.
It IS uplifting to read "positive" stories and you DO provide so many of them (e.g.: changes to Pac-12 BB tournament; Soji learning how to ride her bike; legacy toy drives from "Shoe's" passing, etc.).
But at the heart of each of these positive stories is at least one negative that has been recognized, analyzed & overcome (correspondingly: a flawed tournament design that diminished Pac-12 BB teams' post-seasons; Soji's overcoming fear of falling (gravity) & failing (inertia), while learning to ride a bike; distilling ongoing life-affirming opportunities for sick kids' happiness from the tragic passing of a special sick kid, etc.). You give us plenty of positive stories and they are appreciated.
You are meeting your responsibility as a credible journalist when you report the "negative " stories, too. You do so properly when you report in your accurate, fair & balanced manner. This allows your readers & listeners to consider the issues and propose solutions. Some of your readers & listeners are in positions of power to actually consider & implement solutions that may fix the problems. Ordo Ab Chao
come on Brian your Beaver is showing through and you forgot your adderall today. I do not know what it is but you recently bashed me for taking it, which I do not. OOOHHHSSSUUUU pee you. Ducks rule; see you baby bandits in Nov. 2023 at Autzen. REVENGE will be sweet.
FLW's Darwin Martin house in Buffalo is among his best work, along with the old Larkin Building, which unfortunately was demolished. Two of the Rolling Stones stopped by the DW house several years ago after hours for a private tour. Jagger is big on architecture.
Sometimes I forget and call it the Darwin Barney house.
Brian: you sound like a dumpster trumpster or else a phd scholar; same thing if you ask Marjorie Taylor Green or Sarah Palin. DUMP TRUMP 2024; good riddance to bad rubbish.
Hi Donnie yes the beavers sh.t the bed in Arizona horrible pitching, but I honestly think they were just throwing batting practice and trying to get through the tournament without damaging any arms. We are peaking for the regionals. I really hope the ducks get in the post season would be nice to have both the Oregon schools there, also a friendly reminder that this is unofficially, of course a politics free zone. I will add respect for others and their is important. Let's try to lift each other up!
this is not a politics free zone unless it your artificial intelligence showing through. I root for the Beavers unless it is a civil war game, as I am a proud native Oregonian. Until some Beavers on here started bashing my Ducks very harshly, I have tried to be a good sport. . Also, I chose U of O over the Beavers when given the choice by my late father in Hillsboro, Oregon in 1958 or so. GO DUCKS and dump trump 2024.
I agree with your assessment. I would add, negativity is first order thinking,and in the age of immediate "gratification" most people do not go much further than first order thinking. Appreciation of art, as you describe takes time to appreciate and time to become second and third order thinking. To quote a meme "I ain't got no time for that" sadly is the common response.
I definitely appreciate Canzano's way of slowing us down, and taking a moment to go back to into the orders of thought we often blow past.
My wife and I attended the 2nd of the Oregon State - UCLA games in 2022 that went all afternoon long and into the night (11:30pm). We did not make it past the 8th inning. It was really hot sitting in the stands in the late afternoon and you could tell the field was no cooler. The players looked worn out and they had innings to go when we threw in the towel around 8:30pm. Most people were commenting it was too many games in too short a period of time and something had to be done. I am glad the powers-that-be listened.
what happened to the mighty Beaver baseball? 0-2 and done in pac-12 tourney today. see you in Autzen civil war for sweet revenge in football 2023. watch out for PSU at Reser opener. wayne tinkle has been hired to help football and baseball for upsoming seasons. he has promised to quit tinkling on his power house basketball mens hoops. he just signed a new extension! DUMP TRUMP 2024 AND HE IS IN DEEP DOO DOO. COULD NOT HAPPEN TO A MORE CORRUPT MORON. Ridin with Biden through 2028, and all you trumpsters can eat ---- with a rusty spoon. Watch out for Ducks football 2023; we have REVENGE on brain for Huskies in Seattle and baby Beavs in Autzen. Bo Nix is now official baby sitter with his new wife for the Lannings. OSU pee you and when Huskies come to Corvallis look out. I feel the year of the Duck now that we have new Australian punter, and also new players on both sides of ball! Lanning has promised to punt on 4th and 8 when he has lead. Huskies and Beavers going to be sorry they had to play Oregon in 2023! Feel great about 2023 Pac-12 football; sure hope OSU does not start off with rough patch. Wayne Tinkle is scheduled to throw out first pitch at new huge Reser in September in front of largest crowd in Beaver history. Glad Tinkle will be in Corvallis until Gill is closed down! He is perfect fit for mens hoops! Poor Gary Payton and Ralph Miller, and of course Charlie Zitton from McMinnville.
Your boorish remarks make me ashamed to be a Duck ( BS, history, ‘74).
I speak only for myself, I subscribe to Mr. Canzano for well sourced and written sports journalism and often interesting comments from fellow subscribers. Save your boorish rants for some other site.
We were there last year too. Made it through the first game, but didn't stick around for the second. Like the new format - but NOT the location - and sincerely hope they move to the West Coast when the deal in Scottsdale is up (I think after one more year). We had plane and hotel reservations to go again this year, but when watching the weather forecast creep up into the high 90's for the whole week, we cancelled. Not happy the Beavs are coming home early, but not sad they get to cool down and rest up before (likely) heading on the road to start the NCAA tournament.
I like the tournament but it should be moved. It’s too hot in Arizona this time of year. Maybe that’s why the event looked sparsely attended. Find a good minor league ballpark in California.
An excellent example JC, highlighting the effectiveness of (baseball) coaches vs. Presidents/Chancellors in recognizing a problem/issue and addressing it. Effectively. Nice.
Oregon State having WON 3 National NCAA baseball tournaments in recent years should have been given a little extra reward by being able to choose game venues ; there should be a reward for Pac 12 universities that excel at winning more then the other non champions , like UW, UO and WSU who can’t match OSU ‘s NCAA BB Championship wins . There should be a reward for Past Excellence in enhancing the “Conference of Champions” !!
OSU has done its best , more then other PAC 12 schools , to excel and bring more Championships !!
I'm not sure about these conference tournaments particularly for baseball. The teams have spent the whole season playing legitimate 3 game series with each other to determine their place in the standings, then they revert to pool play where one bad game can knock you out.
Then I wonder if all teams take the tournament seriously and what is the incentive to win it and push your pitchers at the risk of injury when the NCAA tourney is a week away?
Tournament Baseball games for elimination should be played as a series or at least a team must have 2 losses to be eliminated so I don't think pool play is the best way to go. Any team could have 1 ace pitcher that could knock you out but then after that they have nothing left.
Look at Barlow #30 defeating Lakeridge #3 this year. Barlow had a hot pitcher and credit to him but is that fair to say Barlow is a better team. They were that day but could they take 2 of 3 or shouldn't Lakeridge have the chance to come back up through the loser's bracket?
John: I have a friend who was a head referee in the Big Sky: He has many friends who are football officials in the Pac 12. He says there are many good officials in the Pac 12. I think you like to keep the fire going about had bad they are. There are bad apples everywhere including sportswriters. Something positive sometime would be nice.
The procedural mistakes have to stop. You're right... it makes them all look bad. I happen to think the bigger issue is the supervisor of officials. It's a "weakest link" situation.
Hello John, yes I agree but I think a lot of readers read into what they want to see regarding the Pac 12 officiating. I'm not sure you've been clear enough on the difference between the officials on the field and the official's association's leadership.
You must not read many of John’s columns. If you did you couldn’t make the comment that he doesn’t write positive stories.
Yes the Pac-12 has some good officials. I have two former colleagues that I did HS ball with that work Pac-12 and do a good job. However, the depth of the officials and the leadership/oversight of that group is totally lacking when compared to the Big 10 and SEC. I believe John’s comments are warranted about the group as a whole, when we have seen some brutal calls over the last few years. I did HS ball for 35 years and know how hard it can be and that officials make split second calls that may or may not be correct when they are reviewed in slow motion. Still officials through training and constant evaluations can and do get better. The Pac-12 needs to do a better job doing that. I believe that is all John is asking for.
In defense of Farrier Irene I think the poster was referring to positive articles on the officiating and not on CAnzano's overall body of work, of which there are many examples of positive columns. I do wonder if there isn't a conflict with Canzano saying on the one hand we need to be more respectful of officials and then on the other hand generalizing that the PAC 12 officials are as a group sub-par. The PAC 12 officials get it right most of the time and that is not being communicated. What you all want is perfection. Are you perfect?
FI, I hope you're factoring into the "evaluation" you got that referees, umpires, and refs hate criticizing their peers, notwithstanding their his friends, too? Just sayin'...
Scott, there is plenty of inter group criticism and evaluation it's just not for public consumption. The officials I know are proud of what they do and feel very badly when they make an error (judgment or procedural). Officials associations spend a great deal of time reviewing and critiquing themselves and their peers so that everybody can learn from mistakes that have been made.
Totally agree with you, but my comment was directed at a conversation that was not "inter group." Referees are protective of peers when speaking to non-peers--same as many professions with exception of maybe politicians...and contractors? You're so right though--umpires generally feel worse about a bad call than the players or coaches. They just can't display it at the moment.
Perhaps we are not understanding each other? I hope you are not suggesting that officials should be calling out in public their peers when errors have been made?
No, not suggesting that at all. My whole point is the poster here was not going to get a wholly objective opinion about Pac-12 refs from the Big Sky referee, even if he thought they were below-average.
I remember the heat and marathon format from last year and wondering why would they make players do 3-4 games a day into night in AZ this late into Spring? Glad they changed the format, and hope it results in a better overall post season run for the PAC-12 teams. No need to self destruct playing each other!
We made the trip down with two other couples last year. Being true believers who ALWAYS stay to the end of the game; vowed to never go back again for this tournament. I am not one to purchase a bunch of merchandise but even that was lacking. OSU gear, -think T-shirts, sold out in no time and they even had shirts printed up for the one team in the Pac 12 that does not have a baseball team (CO). It is really hard work cheering on one's team, those kids might be young bucks but man it was brutal. Why do we really need this? Oh that's right -- $$$$$$$$ -- mostly for the broadcast media.
One of the couples is down there now as their son works in the area. So will get a report back from them. When they got there for the game yesterday morning, they talked to the staff about attendance on Tuesday--sounds like AZ folks just do not show up be it ASU or UA. Just got a text saying more ASU fans at the game today versus AZ fans for yesterday's game.
Smart, very smart column. I agree with Sean, AZ is too hot. Modesto, Stockton, Vallejo, Sacramento would work. Even Portland would work. The Hops have a great Stadium where fun could be had by all.
John, nice to see the Pac12 be responsive to constructive criticism. My one quibble with this piece is the quote "It showcased the teams for the NCAA selection committee." How did it do that? The games were on Pac-12 Network (except for the championship game). Finding the Pac-12 Network would have been more difficult for the committee than actually selecting the participating teams.
I should have been clearer... showcasing to the selection committee... giving teams that are on the bubble a chance to prove they belong vs. top pac-12 teams.
Spot on. Please spin off the PAC 10 network to any credible streamer as soon as possible and collect the rents. It has great content that never gets seen by the vast majority of fans. There is no need to wait for the big media rights deal to be done to spin off the network. One thing all fans unite behind is our dislike of the network and any opportunity to boo Larry Scott.
Thanks for writing about Pac12 baseball. I have enjoyed the games this Tournament. I tweeted a few messages to you about baseball so I’ll post them again here.
1. Have you heard of any NIL collectives for @pac12 baseball programs or any sports other than football & basketball?
2. You haven’t mentioned before @Pac12Network has helped Olympic sports & women’s basketball. Has P12N helped baseball programs in a similar way?
3. Any thoughts on how the changes to the @MLB draft & minor league can help @pac12 & @AztecBaseball with all the CA talent not being drafted after the 6th round?
4. How does @AztecBaseball program rank up there with a new configured @pac12? I watched multiple games on the @Pac12Network last week & Tony Gwynn stadium was better than most facilities in the @Pac12 without $$$ including Utah’s new park.
While survival instinct might be the underlying reason that the human brain focuses on negative aspects, I think we really seek the joy of order out of chaos. Beethovens' symphonies. Monet's paintings. The Golden Gate Bridge. Fredrick Law Ohlmsted community design. Talisien and Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright. You name it: everyone has their own sets of beauty archetypes.
While there may be stylistic & genre preference differences, we can generally discern dissonance from harmony, organized from disorganized, functional from dysfunctional, proportional from disproporoportional, etc. As a consequence, I believe that noting the negative is an aspect of the brain's process of seeking order by recognizing a system that's "flawed" and endeavoring to figure out how to fix those flaws. Successfully implementing the fix(es) results in more order and a "win" against nature's entropy.
It IS uplifting to read "positive" stories and you DO provide so many of them (e.g.: changes to Pac-12 BB tournament; Soji learning how to ride her bike; legacy toy drives from "Shoe's" passing, etc.).
But at the heart of each of these positive stories is at least one negative that has been recognized, analyzed & overcome (correspondingly: a flawed tournament design that diminished Pac-12 BB teams' post-seasons; Soji's overcoming fear of falling (gravity) & failing (inertia), while learning to ride a bike; distilling ongoing life-affirming opportunities for sick kids' happiness from the tragic passing of a special sick kid, etc.). You give us plenty of positive stories and they are appreciated.
You are meeting your responsibility as a credible journalist when you report the "negative " stories, too. You do so properly when you report in your accurate, fair & balanced manner. This allows your readers & listeners to consider the issues and propose solutions. Some of your readers & listeners are in positions of power to actually consider & implement solutions that may fix the problems. Ordo Ab Chao
Well played, D&D, well played. Charlie
You have good taste! I was an architecture student back in the day and Falling Water is my absolute favorite home design. Pure sculpture.
this comment section is the smartest comment section on the planet.
Totally agree. Without the snarkiness of the Washington Post or the snobiness of the NYT.
come on Brian your Beaver is showing through and you forgot your adderall today. I do not know what it is but you recently bashed me for taking it, which I do not. OOOHHHSSSUUUU pee you. Ducks rule; see you baby bandits in Nov. 2023 at Autzen. REVENGE will be sweet.
FLW's Darwin Martin house in Buffalo is among his best work, along with the old Larkin Building, which unfortunately was demolished. Two of the Rolling Stones stopped by the DW house several years ago after hours for a private tour. Jagger is big on architecture.
Sometimes I forget and call it the Darwin Barney house.
i will check it out
Brian: you sound like a dumpster trumpster or else a phd scholar; same thing if you ask Marjorie Taylor Green or Sarah Palin. DUMP TRUMP 2024; good riddance to bad rubbish.
Hi Donnie yes the beavers sh.t the bed in Arizona horrible pitching, but I honestly think they were just throwing batting practice and trying to get through the tournament without damaging any arms. We are peaking for the regionals. I really hope the ducks get in the post season would be nice to have both the Oregon schools there, also a friendly reminder that this is unofficially, of course a politics free zone. I will add respect for others and their is important. Let's try to lift each other up!
this is not a politics free zone unless it your artificial intelligence showing through. I root for the Beavers unless it is a civil war game, as I am a proud native Oregonian. Until some Beavers on here started bashing my Ducks very harshly, I have tried to be a good sport. . Also, I chose U of O over the Beavers when given the choice by my late father in Hillsboro, Oregon in 1958 or so. GO DUCKS and dump trump 2024.
I agree with your assessment. I would add, negativity is first order thinking,and in the age of immediate "gratification" most people do not go much further than first order thinking. Appreciation of art, as you describe takes time to appreciate and time to become second and third order thinking. To quote a meme "I ain't got no time for that" sadly is the common response.
I definitely appreciate Canzano's way of slowing us down, and taking a moment to go back to into the orders of thought we often blow past.
My wife and I attended the 2nd of the Oregon State - UCLA games in 2022 that went all afternoon long and into the night (11:30pm). We did not make it past the 8th inning. It was really hot sitting in the stands in the late afternoon and you could tell the field was no cooler. The players looked worn out and they had innings to go when we threw in the towel around 8:30pm. Most people were commenting it was too many games in too short a period of time and something had to be done. I am glad the powers-that-be listened.
It was a terrible format.
what happened to the mighty Beaver baseball? 0-2 and done in pac-12 tourney today. see you in Autzen civil war for sweet revenge in football 2023. watch out for PSU at Reser opener. wayne tinkle has been hired to help football and baseball for upsoming seasons. he has promised to quit tinkling on his power house basketball mens hoops. he just signed a new extension! DUMP TRUMP 2024 AND HE IS IN DEEP DOO DOO. COULD NOT HAPPEN TO A MORE CORRUPT MORON. Ridin with Biden through 2028, and all you trumpsters can eat ---- with a rusty spoon. Watch out for Ducks football 2023; we have REVENGE on brain for Huskies in Seattle and baby Beavs in Autzen. Bo Nix is now official baby sitter with his new wife for the Lannings. OSU pee you and when Huskies come to Corvallis look out. I feel the year of the Duck now that we have new Australian punter, and also new players on both sides of ball! Lanning has promised to punt on 4th and 8 when he has lead. Huskies and Beavers going to be sorry they had to play Oregon in 2023! Feel great about 2023 Pac-12 football; sure hope OSU does not start off with rough patch. Wayne Tinkle is scheduled to throw out first pitch at new huge Reser in September in front of largest crowd in Beaver history. Glad Tinkle will be in Corvallis until Gill is closed down! He is perfect fit for mens hoops! Poor Gary Payton and Ralph Miller, and of course Charlie Zitton from McMinnville.
Donnie,
Your boorish remarks make me ashamed to be a Duck ( BS, history, ‘74).
I speak only for myself, I subscribe to Mr. Canzano for well sourced and written sports journalism and often interesting comments from fellow subscribers. Save your boorish rants for some other site.
We were there last year too. Made it through the first game, but didn't stick around for the second. Like the new format - but NOT the location - and sincerely hope they move to the West Coast when the deal in Scottsdale is up (I think after one more year). We had plane and hotel reservations to go again this year, but when watching the weather forecast creep up into the high 90's for the whole week, we cancelled. Not happy the Beavs are coming home early, but not sad they get to cool down and rest up before (likely) heading on the road to start the NCAA tournament.
I like the tournament but it should be moved. It’s too hot in Arizona this time of year. Maybe that’s why the event looked sparsely attended. Find a good minor league ballpark in California.
I wouldn't mind it NOT being 90 degrees.
An excellent example JC, highlighting the effectiveness of (baseball) coaches vs. Presidents/Chancellors in recognizing a problem/issue and addressing it. Effectively. Nice.
See problem... fix it.
Oregon State having WON 3 National NCAA baseball tournaments in recent years should have been given a little extra reward by being able to choose game venues ; there should be a reward for Pac 12 universities that excel at winning more then the other non champions , like UW, UO and WSU who can’t match OSU ‘s NCAA BB Championship wins . There should be a reward for Past Excellence in enhancing the “Conference of Champions” !!
OSU has done its best , more then other PAC 12 schools , to excel and bring more Championships !!
Baseball...especially NCAA baseball...is the epitome of "anybody can beat anybody."
Any given day...
Yep.
I'm not sure about these conference tournaments particularly for baseball. The teams have spent the whole season playing legitimate 3 game series with each other to determine their place in the standings, then they revert to pool play where one bad game can knock you out.
Then I wonder if all teams take the tournament seriously and what is the incentive to win it and push your pitchers at the risk of injury when the NCAA tourney is a week away?
Tournament Baseball games for elimination should be played as a series or at least a team must have 2 losses to be eliminated so I don't think pool play is the best way to go. Any team could have 1 ace pitcher that could knock you out but then after that they have nothing left.
Look at Barlow #30 defeating Lakeridge #3 this year. Barlow had a hot pitcher and credit to him but is that fair to say Barlow is a better team. They were that day but could they take 2 of 3 or shouldn't Lakeridge have the chance to come back up through the loser's bracket?
I don't think it necessarily hurts the top seeds. Gives the conference a shot to get a Mississippi into the NCAA field.
I agree with this post, other than it helps players get exposure with scouts. All the teams in one place attract a lot of scouts.
John: I have a friend who was a head referee in the Big Sky: He has many friends who are football officials in the Pac 12. He says there are many good officials in the Pac 12. I think you like to keep the fire going about had bad they are. There are bad apples everywhere including sportswriters. Something positive sometime would be nice.
The procedural mistakes have to stop. You're right... it makes them all look bad. I happen to think the bigger issue is the supervisor of officials. It's a "weakest link" situation.
Hello John, yes I agree but I think a lot of readers read into what they want to see regarding the Pac 12 officiating. I'm not sure you've been clear enough on the difference between the officials on the field and the official's association's leadership.
You must not read many of John’s columns. If you did you couldn’t make the comment that he doesn’t write positive stories.
Yes the Pac-12 has some good officials. I have two former colleagues that I did HS ball with that work Pac-12 and do a good job. However, the depth of the officials and the leadership/oversight of that group is totally lacking when compared to the Big 10 and SEC. I believe John’s comments are warranted about the group as a whole, when we have seen some brutal calls over the last few years. I did HS ball for 35 years and know how hard it can be and that officials make split second calls that may or may not be correct when they are reviewed in slow motion. Still officials through training and constant evaluations can and do get better. The Pac-12 needs to do a better job doing that. I believe that is all John is asking for.
Thanks.
Wow. I find John writes some positive stories that I just do not want to read them because I hate crying
a little crying can be good for your soul, pal.
Well played, tc, and pass the Kleenex. Our man John covers life its ownself. Charlie
In defense of Farrier Irene I think the poster was referring to positive articles on the officiating and not on CAnzano's overall body of work, of which there are many examples of positive columns. I do wonder if there isn't a conflict with Canzano saying on the one hand we need to be more respectful of officials and then on the other hand generalizing that the PAC 12 officials are as a group sub-par. The PAC 12 officials get it right most of the time and that is not being communicated. What you all want is perfection. Are you perfect?
I like to throw five pitches...
Can you turn Three Blind Mice into a positive?
Three tail-less mice are still alive.
But how fast can they run? LOL!
FI, I hope you're factoring into the "evaluation" you got that referees, umpires, and refs hate criticizing their peers, notwithstanding their his friends, too? Just sayin'...
The conference grades these guys but does not share this information with the folks who pay the bills, the fans, of course.
Scott, there is plenty of inter group criticism and evaluation it's just not for public consumption. The officials I know are proud of what they do and feel very badly when they make an error (judgment or procedural). Officials associations spend a great deal of time reviewing and critiquing themselves and their peers so that everybody can learn from mistakes that have been made.
Totally agree with you, but my comment was directed at a conversation that was not "inter group." Referees are protective of peers when speaking to non-peers--same as many professions with exception of maybe politicians...and contractors? You're so right though--umpires generally feel worse about a bad call than the players or coaches. They just can't display it at the moment.
Perhaps we are not understanding each other? I hope you are not suggesting that officials should be calling out in public their peers when errors have been made?
No, not suggesting that at all. My whole point is the poster here was not going to get a wholly objective opinion about Pac-12 refs from the Big Sky referee, even if he thought they were below-average.
OSU track program. Luis Quintana coach
Why did U of O hire Jerry Schumacher. Former track athlete busted for PED
PDX MLB Baseball. What's going on. Is Portland's image tainted?
Portland Pilot Baseball
What's up with Thorns/Timbers ownership?
Larry Mahan
Jaydon Grant how is he doing?
Follow up story on your daughter at OSU. 3 years later.
Have U of O and OSU basketball coaches. Have they lost their luster with today's player?
BFT success stories
Corvallis Knights
Jade Carey
Moda Center remodel when and why?
What's the plan if Bo can't go?
Pac 12 and WCC baseball tourney in the heat.
How you balance work, wife kids, etc...
St Paul Rodeo
Horse racing
Gambling addiction
You are hired. I have a vault of potential stories in the works...
👍Finally, a good move.
blind squirrel or will they address other issues?
My money's on Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. God bless them both.
I remember the heat and marathon format from last year and wondering why would they make players do 3-4 games a day into night in AZ this late into Spring? Glad they changed the format, and hope it results in a better overall post season run for the PAC-12 teams. No need to self destruct playing each other!
let's see how the pitchers do in the regionals.
We made the trip down with two other couples last year. Being true believers who ALWAYS stay to the end of the game; vowed to never go back again for this tournament. I am not one to purchase a bunch of merchandise but even that was lacking. OSU gear, -think T-shirts, sold out in no time and they even had shirts printed up for the one team in the Pac 12 that does not have a baseball team (CO). It is really hard work cheering on one's team, those kids might be young bucks but man it was brutal. Why do we really need this? Oh that's right -- $$$$$$$$ -- mostly for the broadcast media.
One of the couples is down there now as their son works in the area. So will get a report back from them. When they got there for the game yesterday morning, they talked to the staff about attendance on Tuesday--sounds like AZ folks just do not show up be it ASU or UA. Just got a text saying more ASU fans at the game today versus AZ fans for yesterday's game.
You aren't wrong about TV.
Smart, very smart column. I agree with Sean, AZ is too hot. Modesto, Stockton, Vallejo, Sacramento would work. Even Portland would work. The Hops have a great Stadium where fun could be had by all.
John, nice to see the Pac12 be responsive to constructive criticism. My one quibble with this piece is the quote "It showcased the teams for the NCAA selection committee." How did it do that? The games were on Pac-12 Network (except for the championship game). Finding the Pac-12 Network would have been more difficult for the committee than actually selecting the participating teams.
I should have been clearer... showcasing to the selection committee... giving teams that are on the bubble a chance to prove they belong vs. top pac-12 teams.
Spot on. Please spin off the PAC 10 network to any credible streamer as soon as possible and collect the rents. It has great content that never gets seen by the vast majority of fans. There is no need to wait for the big media rights deal to be done to spin off the network. One thing all fans unite behind is our dislike of the network and any opportunity to boo Larry Scott.
Yawn. John, you keep writing about the same Pac12 stuff.
what are you into?
i wrote about my 7-year-old's first bike ride on sunday.
John's audience is the Pac12. I would not subscribe if it were all about the SEC. There are probably bloggers already writing about other conferences.
Thanks for writing about Pac12 baseball. I have enjoyed the games this Tournament. I tweeted a few messages to you about baseball so I’ll post them again here.
1. Have you heard of any NIL collectives for @pac12 baseball programs or any sports other than football & basketball?
2. You haven’t mentioned before @Pac12Network has helped Olympic sports & women’s basketball. Has P12N helped baseball programs in a similar way?
3. Any thoughts on how the changes to the @MLB draft & minor league can help @pac12 & @AztecBaseball with all the CA talent not being drafted after the 6th round?
4. How does @AztecBaseball program rank up there with a new configured @pac12? I watched multiple games on the @Pac12Network last week & Tony Gwynn stadium was better than most facilities in the @Pac12 without $$$ including Utah’s new park.