h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

TV's F >> Go for the Subit Button.

IZJ >> Hair to your waist, but you write programs (&HTML) in your spare time. There are two mental images that conflict

CF

IZJ - never spoil long hair

CF - already submitted this. thanks!

Really? Why? My hair is down to my waist because I take good care of it and have it trimmed regularly, blah blah blah. And I write computer programs and HTML because most of the time I'm bored. I taught myself by accident when I switched my angelfire homepage onto the Advanced Editor by mistake about a year ago.

Frink - I read this little story in our newspaper here (sure, it was one of those humorous little stories that probably isn't true, but what the heck!) and I thought of you immediately! Maybe you can tell me if it's really true!!

The story goes that a man was at Wrigley Field watching a Cubs game, when he called a security officer over and said "Those people are bothering me." The security officer looked around him at all the well behaved spectators and said "Who sir?" and the man pointed out to the Cubs players on the field.

As you can see, we're hard up for news down here! But it made me laugh - and does give a bit of an insight into the pain of being a Cubs supporter!

By the way, as an Australian, I must say I find the title of this article VERY amusing (but then, I have a juvenile mind!) - read the Aussie slang entry to find out why!

I've never heard that one, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Or at least a good joke......

I'll have to think about a new title for the article (again!). This was not the definition of "root" I was going for!

LOL Well, the players are in a way 'rooting' the fans, I suppose....

Why not simply "The Agony of Being a Cubs Fan"?

although I think you should reevaluate the titles propose above .

Maybe you could submit it as an example of "Safe Rooting".

JTG

Hmmmmm...I wonder what the game-day promotions would be. What would they hand out?

I actually named it "The agony of being a cubs fan" before changing to "root". I think it will now go back to "being"

Damn! I was just about to invest in souvenir latex roll-down "Cubs" hats.



JTG

LOL!!! I must catch my breath...

Okay. So I didn't come here just to laugh my arse off, but to promote a related entry, the first installment of my series on the World Series, entitled.... *drumroll*

"Say it Ain't So, Joe" : A (somewhat) Complete History of the 1919 World Series Scandal

And to formally invite anyone who would like to write about a Word Series to tell me so I may link? Thank'y

Sorry I haven't had a chance to check out the Black Sox article yet. Being a Cubs fan, I hate hate hate (that's three times the usual hate) the Sox. Remind me and I will get around to reading it.

He's a bitter, bitter man... [whispers] it's the latex hats.

I have to admit, I'm not much of a fan; but with the back-to-back Blue Jays (snicker) just down the road, I might be able to think of something.

JTG

Hey, anyone in this forum who enjoys baseball should go read Fenchurch's article about the 1919 world series. You have yet to see so much depth in an article on h2g2......

.....and now that i've plugged someone else's page, allow me to plug another of my own, about the television show NewsRadio

http://www.h2g2.com/P170353

New Zealand are the current men's World Softball Champions. We won the title by beating 15 other teams at the recent, 4-yearly, world championships. These teams included, USA, Canada, China, Japan, Australia. A large part of the world was represented.

Something that has always puzzled me is the name World Series, as used in North American baseball. Does anyone know the history of this somewhat grandiose name.

Incidently the NZ softball team is known as the Black Sox. Black being the colour most of our national sports team wear.

I don't know when the term 'World series' was first coined. But American sports casters are always talking about the world as if it was defined by limits of their broadcast signal.

A similar phrase used a lot here (Canada) is 'World class', which means anything that isn't absolute crap. One should always be prepared to pay extra for anything with the 'World class' designation.

JTG

Thanks JTG.

Alas with the advent of satelite broadcasting ESPN, CBS, NBC etc are now broadcast world wide.

A classic example was ESPNs 100% bias in America's favour, coverage of Golf's Ryder Cup. We had access to that and Britain's BSkyB channel. The pictures were the same but the commentators were at different tournaments.

We take CBS Canada's coverage of the Winter Olympics. At least they do say "Hello to our friends in NZ" once a day.

I suppose our commentators are just as bad. You will not get an unbiased NZ rugby/cricket commentator when we are playing Australia, South Africa or England.

I've got an idea - let's not talk about the cubs. I know I'm not supposed to say anything which would cause offence to anyone - but I think I can stay well within that and still say that any sport played entirely by Americans is, by the nature of it, a complete waste of time. Americans up and down their great country are running around going, "yey!U.! S.! A.! are the greatest at (delete as applicable) basketball/[ice]hockey/baseball/football", while the rest of the world are saying, "you only play those sports because you suck at everything else".
As for the comment on biased commentary, come on. Commentary needs to be biased. The key match every year for every Welsh person is the Wales-England rugby match. It's on BBC 1, and due to the wonders of modern technology, if you watch it on BBC 1 Wales there's commentary from Welsh people [in the english language] and on BBC 1 England there's commentary from English people. How else would it work? What is commentary for if not to impart the natural jingoism that none of us can help feeling at such moments. Of course it's fair, both teams are given fair credit for their play, but the commentator is with the viewer all the way - Wales *must* win.
Incidently some-one mentioned the Ryder Cup. Sky telly over here offered the opportunity to watch the game with the American commmentary on a second channel and it was the BBC who supplied the on-course commentary (appararently it was playing in the Portaloo's). We got that feed on 5Live and it was the most biased pro-European commentary you have ever heard.
While on the subject - perhaps the next time the American team have, say a penalty kick to win a football [this is proper football by the way] game against a European team [maybe San Marino, use your imagination] perhaps the opposing fans should all run across the goal mouth - perhaps even kick the ball away - and see whether they think it's fair.
As Europeans we are somewhat hampered by the continual idea of "fair play". The fact is we were cheated in the Ryder Cup. The Americans cheated - if anything thinks this is over stepping the mark then I refer you to the Royal&Ancient rules - and only the fact that Olazabal didn't whinge won the match for the Americans. Imagine a reversed situtation, would the Americans have moaned if we cheated, would they have called in the referee when the hole was there for the taking. I would love a reply on any of the issues I have raised.

What, is no one going to stand up and defend me or my country? Ok, I'll take care of it.......

Dear Rob,

Welcome to H2G2. Nice to meet you. You are off to a wonderful start, having wandered into a forum for my beloved Chicago Cubs and proceeding to trash it. I hope you at least looked at the article. Oh sure, American sports may be a "complete waste of time," but I think my article is a good example of how to write an official guide entry. One could learn a few things from it. Gee, maybe even some day you'll get an article in the guide.

How did you find this forum anyway? Did you do a search for topics you can get upset at? It's nice to hear a little anti-U.S. sentiment back at h2g2....I had not heard any in quite some time.

We Americans aren't all alike either. Sure, some of us do chant U.! S.! A.! But a lot of us chant U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

And it is truly wonderful to hear more whining about the Ryder Cup. I will agree that the behavior of the U.S. team could not be considered good sportsmanship by golf standards. Unfortunately, golf standards are just plain silly. Explain to me how it is more difficult to make a twenty foot putt than it is to hit a 100 mph fastball. Explain to me how a professional baseball player can hit the ball in front of 50,000 screaming fans, but a professional golfer can't make a putt with one person blowing his/her nose. Why shouldn't the European fans be able to yell at the U.S. players?

At any rate, I hope to see you around my forums in the future. Being an American, I don't know how to discuss anything but sports, and that should give you plenty of bashing opportunities.

Let me know when you are in town, and I'll get us Cubs tickets.

-TVF

TV's F. I feel that you did well to be so restrained.

Rob. Yes, this site seems to be dominated by us Brits. What right to these jolly foreigners have to clutter it up with all this foreign sport?

... They have every right.

Most researchers own up to where they are on the globe and if you pay attention, you might notice that much of the creative/funny/positive input to the guide comes from outside the UK.

You are entitled to have your say, but please try and be nice to the neighbours.

CF

TV's Frink, have you any comment, info, on the origins of the term World Series as used in baseball.

Just interested, not stirring