Author Topic: No East Coast Bias Here (Read 10845 times)

Alkie · « **on:** April 23, 2007, 08:37:18 am »

Cover story on ESPN.com/mlb right now is

HOW SWEEP IT IS and a few hundred stories on the 1st place Red Sox sweeping out the 3rd place and currently under .500 Yankees at home. In April.

You know...I remember when I was in high school in the early 90s and I am absolutely certain that when the Yanks played the Sox back then, not one person outside of NY or NE gave a shit or even knew it was going on. And we had ESPN.

I try to imagine what it would be like if ESPN was headquartered in, say, Skokie or Bakersfield. Would we have to hear about the Cubs and Cards or Dodgers and Giants all day? Why is it that I think the answer to that is "no"?

Here's a legit question for our people in the northeast: does the general illiterate public up there actually think that people around the nation are just captivated by the Yanks/RedSox or is it that they just know that THEY are and don't care what us rednecks watch/think?

Ankh · « **Reply #1 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:48:37 am »

When we were in high school in the early 90's, neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox were World Series juggernauts. That both teams got really good at around the same time allowed ESPN to feature these two teams.

das · « **Reply #2 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:53:32 am »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 08:37:18 am

Here's a legit question for our people in the northeast: does the general illiterate public up there actually think that people around the nation are just captivated by the Yanks/RedSox or is it that they just know that THEY are and don't care what us rednecks watch/think?

In their minds, New Yorkers think NY is the center of the universe and Bostonians *detest* that notion because, while they like to think that they have their own persona, they are cut from the same mold/stock. When you are standing on the surface of the sun and look out, you don't see much and assume those standing on Pluto only see the sun when they look back in that general direction. It's not that they don't think you rednecks care, it's that they wrongly think you *can't* care about anything else. Heck, they think we simpletons 300 miles away here in DC are blinded by the brilliance of Gotham City.

Alkie · « **Reply #3 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:54:51 am »

Oh, I agree. But that's part of my point: ESPN would have you believe that Yanks/Sox has been a thoroughly watchable, live-and-die-by-every-pitch event since the beginning of time.

It's total bullshit. 10-15 years ago, no one cared.

The Cards or Astros have been in the last 3 World Series. The Yanks/Sox have been in one of the last 3. So, if recency is the issue here, why the hell isn't the Cards/Astros series ever hyped even a billionth of what the Yanks/Sox series are? I'm not aiming this at you, Ankh.

Mr. Happy · « **Reply #4 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:56:09 am »

Drama Queen pricde just went to 25 milllion.

Alkie · « **Reply #5 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:58:33 am »

Quote from: das on April 23, 2007, 08:53:32 am

In their minds, New Yorkers think NY is the center of the universe and Bostonians *detest* that notion because, while they like to think that they have their own persona, they are cut from the same mold/stock. When you are standing on the surface of the sun and look out, you don't see much and assume those standing on Pluto only see the sun when they look back in that general direction. It's not that they don't think you rednecks care, it's that they wrongly think you *can't* care about anything else. Heck, they think we simpletons 300 miles away here in DC are blinded by the brilliance of Gotham City.

Fair enough, but when you run a television station that broadcasts to all of America, you have to know that, even as big as NY is, only 2.67% of the US lives in NYC. Shit, even if you count the entire metro area, it only makes up 6.23% of America. Is that huge? Sure. But you're going to just alienate the other 94% of your viewers?

Alkie · « **Reply #6 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:59:05 am »

Quote from: Paul Hood on April 23, 2007, 08:56:09 am

Drama Queen pricde just went to 25 milllion.

Paul, you either need to stop drinking while posting or give Fredia her keyboard back, man.

drew corleone · « **Reply #7 on:** April 23, 2007, 09:36:18 am »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 08:54:51 am

Oh, I agree. But that's part of my point: ESPN would have you believe that Yanks/Sox has been a thoroughly watchable, live-and-die-by-every-pitch event since the beginning of time.

It's total bullshit. 10-15 years ago, no one cared.

The Cards or Astros have been in the last 3 World Series. The Yanks/Sox have been in one of the last 3. So, if recency is the issue here, why the hell isn't the Cards/Astros series ever hyped even a billionth of what the Yanks/Sox series are? I'm not aiming this at you, Ankh.

It irritated me to no end when the Yanks' choke-job overshadowed the greatness of the 2005 NLCS. I really hate both of those teams. Here's hoping Minnesota hands the Sox their ass in a few months.

Noe · « **Reply #8 on:** April 23, 2007, 09:47:37 am »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 08:59:05 am

Paul, you either need to stop drinking while posting or give Fredia her keyboard back, man.

Mr. Happy · « **Reply #9 on:** April 23, 2007, 11:47:45 am »

Quote from: Paul Hood on April 23, 2007, 08:56:09 am

Drama Queen pricde just went to 25 milllion.

Don't drink. I'm thinkig pinstripes for DQ. The Yankees are hurting at starting pitching.

WulawHorn · « **Reply #10 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:08:45 pm »

Collin Cowherd had a funny line about why philly fans were always such a pain in the ass- he said that there are 4 great cities in the northeast.

NY is the money capital of the world (wall street)
DC is the power capital of the world (white house, congress)
Boston is the intellectual capital of the world (Harvard, MIT)
and Philly is the cheesesteak capital of the world (self evident).

It made me laugh.

Rush Limbaugh also explained it as such... NY is the most provincial town he's ever lived in. Every story, to be relavant, must have some manner of hook to NYC or it gets ignored. Said that they are in reality the biggest little city in the world.

Bench · « **Reply #11 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:14:32 pm »

Quote from: WulawHorn on April 23, 2007, 02:08:45 pm

Collin Cowherd had a funny line about why philly fans were always such a pain in the ass- he said that there are 4 great cities in the northeast.

NY is the money capital of the world (wall street)
DC is the power capital of the world (white house, congress)
Boston is the intellectual capital of the world (Harvard, MIT)
and Philly is the cheesesteak capital of the world (self evident).

It made me laugh.

Rush Limbaugh also explained it as such... NY is the most provincial town he's ever lived in. Every story, to be relavant, must have some manner of hook to NYC or it gets ignored. Said that they are in reality the biggest little city in the world.

Quoting Colin Cowherd AND Rush Limbaugh for credibility?

Stop the world. I want to get off now.

strosrays · « **Reply #12 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:20:36 pm »

The New Yorker's view of the rest of the world, from 9th Ave.

Alkie · « **Reply #13 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:33:07 pm »

I understand why NYers feel the way they do about NY. It's a very cool place where a lot of things are conceptualized and decided and that's fine and shit, but if you're going to pride yourself on being the most diverse place in America (or further), shouldn't you know SOMETHING about the other cities first? NYers being ignorant about the rest of America is no different than any other region of America being ignorant of some other group of people.

I was once at a conference in LA (has nothing to do with NY), where I met this woman from Vermont who now lived in Seattle. I was from Austin at the time and was telling her how interesting it was that we were essentially from the same city, except that Austin trades all the rain-days for sun-days. BOY was she offended (I've spent a lot of time in Seattle, so I wasn't just making this up). She tried to convince me that Austin was a redneck Republican stronghold with no culture and no clue.

"Have you BEEN to Austin?"

"I don't need to go. I already know what it's like."

I think the best part about this was the fact that the bitch who was dissing where I was from for being too ignorant was the one showing the true ignorance.

My second favorite: I spent a couple summers in Seattle with my aunt, who lives there. Somedays, I'd have to go work at her jewelry store with her. One afternoon, a couple of women from LA were in the shop and started talking to me. I told them that I was from El Paso and one of the women, with a straight fucking face, actually asked me "so, is your dad a cowboy?" "No, he's a dentist." "A cowboy dentist?" Her friend actually turned around and walked out of the store.

"Yes, a cowboy dentist. Why don't you come on out to the ranch and we can shoot Injuns and you can fuck our donkey, you stupid bitch."

Houston · « **Reply #14 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:37:04 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 08:37:18 am

Cover story on ESPN.com/mlb right now is

HOW SWEEP IT IS and a few hundred stories on the 1st place Red Sox sweeping out the 3rd place and currently under .500 Yankees at home. In April.

You know...I remember when I was in high school in the early 90s and I am absolutely certain that when the Yanks played the Sox back then, not one person outside of NY or NE gave a shit or even knew it was going on. And we had ESPN.

I try to imagine what it would be like if ESPN was headquartered in, say, Skokie or Bakersfield. Would we have to hear about the Cubs and Cards or Dodgers and Giants all day? Why is it that I think the answer to that is "no"?

Here's a legit question for our people in the northeast: does the general illiterate public up there actually think that people around the nation are just captivated by the Yanks/RedSox or is it that they just know that THEY are and don't care what us rednecks watch/think?

There really are a lot of Yankees-Red Sox fans outside of those areas. I have talked to a number of people -- including a man Saturday at the Inner Harbor -- who drive from Boston or NY to Baltimore (of course, the distance from Baltimore to NYC is about the same as Houston to Austin) to see games because it's easier to get tickets here than there. But my original point is there are a lot of relocated Yankees-Sox fans here, so the perspective for people in Bristol, Connecticut, (home of ESPN) is of a couple of national teams, rather than hyper-regional ones.

To show you small-minded they are higher up in the Northeast, I was visting my former in-laws in NH once and got into a conversation with an older man. He assumed I wasn't from NH, which is a fairly reasonable assumption considering the racial make-up there. So, he wanted to know if I was from Massachussets. I guess in his Upper Atlantic-centric world, there were no other choices.

To answer your questions/thoughts directly... they don't care what the rest of the country wants -- or at least it's not their priority. Second, ESPN could never be based anywhere else. Bristol is the equator between NYC and Boston.

Alkie · « **Reply #15 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:42:01 pm »

Quote from: Houston on April 23, 2007, 02:37:04 pm

To show you small-minded they are higher up in the Northeast, I was visting my former in-laws in NH once and got into a conversation with an older man. He assumed I wasn't from NH, which is a fairly reasonable assumption considering the racial make-up there. So, he wanted to know if I was from Massachussets. I guess in his Upper Atlantic-centric world, there were no other choices.

Aren't all black people from MA or NJ?

Houston · « **Reply #16 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:46:43 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:42:01 pm

Aren't all black people from MA or NJ?

I guess so in that guy's mind. I guess he didn't even want to conceive that he might be having a friendly conversation with someone from NY.

utastro · « **Reply #17 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:46:48 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:33:07 pm

My second favorite: I spent a couple summers in Seattle with my aunt, who lives there. Somedays, I'd have to go work at her jewelry store with her. One afternoon, a couple of women from LA were in the shop and started talking to me. I told them that I was from El Paso and one of the women, with a straight fucking face, actually asked me "so, is your dad a cowboy?" "No, he's a dentist." "A cowboy dentist?" Her friend actually turned around and walked out of the store.

"Yes, a cowboy dentist. Why don't you come on out to the ranch and we can shoot Injuns and you can fuck our donkey, you stupid bitch."

Hey, I'm from El Paso too and I love them cowboy dentists. Man can they rope some teeth. And don't get me started about shooting injuns. If you get up on top of the rocks at Hueco Tanks, them injuns are easy pickins.

Alkie · « **Reply #18 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:49:15 pm »

Quote from: Houston on April 23, 2007, 02:46:43 pm

I guess so in that guy's mind. I guess he didn't even want to conceive that he might be having a friendly conversation with someone from NY.

Actual conversation with someone from DC:

ALKIE: You got any good Mexican food in DC?

DC: Just this one place.

ALKIE: Oh yeah? What's it called?

DC: El Salvador

Houston · « **Reply #19 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:53:34 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:49:15 pm

Actual conversation with someone from DC:

ALKIE: You got any good Mexican food in DC?

DC: Just this one place.

ALKIE: Oh yeah? What's it called?

DC: El Salvador

I've told this story before, but when I moved here from Houston one of the first things I did was look in the phone book to search for some Mexican restaurants nearby. Practically every listing under "Mexican" was Taco Bell.

Alkie · « **Reply #20 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:54:17 pm »

Time to get thy ass back home, son.

MusicMan · « **Reply #21 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:55:59 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:33:07 pm

"Yes, a cowboy dentist. Why don't you come on out to the ranch and we can shoot Injuns and you can fuck our donkey, you stupid bitch."

Why do I never get to utter sentences like this?

Alkie · « **Reply #22 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:57:04 pm »

Quote from: MusicMan on April 23, 2007, 02:55:59 pm

Why do I never get to utter sentences like this?

Well, I put myself in a position to have to respond like that. It's my fault.

das · « **Reply #23 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:57:12 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:49:15 pm

Actual conversation with someone from DC:

ALKIE: You got any good Mexican food in DC?

DC: Just this one place.

ALKIE: Oh yeah? What's it called?

DC: El Salvador

Don't listen to that person ever again. Guapo's in Friendship Heights (or the ancillary in the Connecticut Avenue Metro Station) is ok but for real good, go to La Mexicana in Gaithersburg, MD 20 miles NW.

Houston · « **Reply #24 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:58:21 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:54:17 pm

Time to get thy ass back home, son.

Dude... you don't need to tell me that! This place is fine, but it ain't home. Houston's home, but it ain't mine.

I'll be back soon enough.

Alkie · « **Reply #25 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:59:19 pm »

Oh, I'm sure there's good Mexican there.

I just thought it was funny since, you know, El Salvador is like a whole other country. Outside of Mexico. Not even bordering it.

das · « **Reply #26 on:** April 23, 2007, 03:04:06 pm »

Quote from: Houston on April 23, 2007, 02:53:34 pm

I've told this story before, but when I moved here from Houston one of the first things I did was look in the phone book to search for some Mexican restaurants nearby. Practically every listing under "Mexican" was Taco Bell.

Duuuuuuuude, c'mon down. We just ate at La Mexicana last night. *FANTASTIC* chile rellenos and tacos. Tomorrow night is enchiladas night so I'm going with the girls. You interested? They have great sweet corn enchiladas to go with the others.

Houston · « **Reply #27 on:** April 23, 2007, 03:09:28 pm »

Quote from: das on April 23, 2007, 03:04:06 pm

Duuuuuuuude, c'mon down. We just ate at La Mexicana last night. *FANTASTIC* chile rellenos and tacos. Tomorrow night is enchiladas night so I'm going with the girls. You interested? They have great sweet corn enchiladas to go with the others.

I wish I could, but my schedule right now it tighter than just-washed jeans on an El Paso cowboy dentist!

My next free evening is Sunday.

MusicMan · « **Reply #28 on:** April 23, 2007, 03:17:52 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:59:19 pm

I just thought it was funny since, you know, El Salvador is like a whole other country. Outside of Mexico. Not even bordering it.

Whaaaa? Why the hell aren't I notified of these things?!?!

Alkie · « **Reply #29 on:** April 23, 2007, 03:34:09 pm »

Hell, my grandmother still refers to all Hispanics as "Spanish people."

I asked her once how she would feel if someone referred to her as "English people." And she responded with "no one would say that, because it's not true."

Oh, grama. So cute.

S.P. Rodriguez · « **Reply #30 on:** April 23, 2007, 03:43:02 pm »

Alkie, I'd just as soon play up the stereo-types and preconceived notions of Texas. Having spent a few years over-seas, brief periods in various locales south of the equator, and a number of other 2 week stays around the US, I am never surprised at the ignorance I encounter when I respond that I'm from Texas. Whether it's the expectation that I speak with a slow southern drawl, wear boots 24x7, own a horse/cow/gun, drive a truck, and hang out at Gilley's. With this experience, I've realized that anything I can do to reinforce these prejudices, the less likely it is that these morons move to Texas, the better it is for the rest of us. So, I talk about loving my 4x4 truck with the rifle rack, enjoying cattle round-ups, shooting at squirrels and crazy stories about the Chupa Cabre, even though none are true/real. As far as I am concerned, I'm doing all involved a big favor. I'm confirming their preconceived notions and they are staying as far away as possible from my home. The last thing they want to hear is that we have zoos, museums, music halls, symphonies, etc...

And as for bad Mexican food, you've not even heard the worst. When I was in Frankfurt, Germany we tried to find a good mexican restaurant. Hell, even a spannish tapas restaurant would have been nice. What we found was a place that served a taco salad with, get this, swiss cheese and some sort of wine-vinegar dressing. But on the plus side, they were the only place outside a military base that served iced tea. That alone made eating there tolerable. Ignoring the fact that there's nothing authentic about a taco salad.
On the flip side, I was in Dallas for 2 weeks recently, having lived there for almost 8 yrs prior to late 2005. A friend of mine suggested we go to this place he's eaten at since he was a kid. Now this guy is about as gringo as you can get. Low and behold, he has hidden this gem of a place from me for the entire time I've known him, rat-bastard. By far the best enchiladas I've had in Dallas, other than home-made, in all the time I spent there. The restaurant may not look like much but the food was great.

UnholyToledo · « **Reply #31 on:** April 23, 2007, 03:49:32 pm »

I'm in the DC area and I had this very conversation with some (mostly neutral) people while watching Sox/Yanks at a bar on Friday night.

It started with me pointing out the injustice of ESPN showing every game of the Sox/Yanks regular season series, to the almost complete exclusion of other interesting matchups involving good teams like the Astros. To justify my bitching, which no one really wanted to hear, I also pointed out that the issue is much more important to fans like me this season, without MLB Extra Innings.

I'm not sure I agree but the consensus opinion was, it's a purely economic calculation on ESPN's part. The "neutral" or "casual" fan, the argument went, is much more likely to watch a Sox-Yankees game than any other matchup not involving their home team. For ESPN that means higher ratings, higher priced ad time, higher revenue, etc. I don't know of any specific hard evidence to support that; i'd like to know if it's the real answer or not.

WulawHorn · « **Reply #32 on:** April 23, 2007, 03:59:15 pm »

Quote from: Bench on April 23, 2007, 02:14:32 pm

Quoting Colin Cowherd AND Rush Limbaugh for credibility?

Stop the world. I want to get off now.

Just thought the Cowherd line was funny. Tend to believe the Rush thing as well, due to various trips to NYC and meeting people from there. It strikes me that it has a definite element of truth to it.

Alkie- have had many of the same type of convo's with people about austin. Nobody believes it. All I can tell them is that it ain't like the rest of texas and they can't conceptialize that. Best I can compare it to would be maybe San Diego. That place has a different feel (probably b/c of the huge miliatary influence) then the rest of CA- politics wise. Austin it the opposite b/c of UT and the Capitol influence.

S.P. Rodriguez · « **Reply #33 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:04:47 pm »

Quote from: WulawHorn on April 23, 2007, 03:59:15 pm

Just thought the Cowherd line was funny. Tend to believe the Rush thing as well, due to various trips to NYC and meeting people from there. It strikes me that it has a definite element of truth to it.

Alkie- have had many of the same type of convo's with people about austin. Nobody believes it. All I can tell them is that it ain't like the rest of texas and they can't conceptialize that. Best I can compare it to would be maybe San Diego. That place has a different feel (probably b/c of the huge miliatary influence) then the rest of CA- politics wise. Austin it the opposite b/c of UT and the Capitol influence.

If you travel out to the northern suburban areas, you'll find Austin isn't so "Weird" any more. Anyway, the change is really starting to piss off the long term Austinites, from what I've seen. Luckily for them, we aren't truly "Austin" or else the dominant influence in Austin politics would change, I suspect. I'm not saying one is better than the other. I'm simply commenting that Austin is rapidly changing.

Holly · « **Reply #34 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:16:37 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:33:07 pm

She tried to convince me that Austin was a redneck Republican stronghold with no culture and no clue.

Musta gotten Jasper and Austin confused. Republican stronghold? Austin? Good Lord. You should carry around a copy of the Austin Chronicle and a photo of Leslie, for occasions such as those. Man.

JimR · « **Reply #35 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:18:44 pm »

Quote from: El Guapo on April 23, 2007, 04:04:47 pm

If you travel out to the northern suburban areas, you'll find Austin isn't so "Weird" any more. Anyway, the change is really starting to piss off the long term Austinites, from what I've seen. Luckily for them, we aren't truly "Austin" or else the dominant influence in Austin politics would change, I suspect. I'm not saying one is better than the other. I'm simply commenting that Austin is rapidly changing.

nonsense. i have only lived here since 1945 so that might not be "long term" enough for you. Austin still is Austin if you do not count the buildings. Round Rock and Pflugerville are not Austin.

utastro · « **Reply #36 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:20:17 pm »

Quote from: El Guapo on April 23, 2007, 04:04:47 pm

If you travel out to the northern suburban areas, you'll find Austin isn't so "Weird" any more.

Funniest bumper sticker I have seen in a while: "Keep Austin Weird/Keep Round Rock Mildly Unusual"

drew corleone · « **Reply #37 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:23:47 pm »

Quote from: El Guapo on April 23, 2007, 04:04:47 pm

If you travel out to the northern suburban areas, you'll find Austin isn't so "Weird" any more. Anyway, the change is really starting to piss off the long term Austinites, from what I've seen. Luckily for them, we aren't truly "Austin" or else the dominant influence in Austin politics would change, I suspect. I'm not saying one is better than the other. I'm simply commenting that Austin is rapidly changing.

I like supporting local business and all, but if I can grab a CD at Best Buy in North Austin for $10, as opposed to driving down to Waterloo and getting it for $15, then I'm going to do it, and the long-time Austinites can get pissed off at me all they want. Now I'll be right there with them up in arms when the "Dallasification" gets so bad that I can't wear my flip flops and baseball hat into a bar without getting weird looks.

pravata · « **Reply #38 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:25:59 pm »

Quote from: WulawHorn on April 23, 2007, 03:59:15 pm

Just thought the Cowherd line was funny. Tend to believe the Rush thing as well, due to various trips to NYC and meeting people from there. It strikes me that it has a definite element of truth to it.

Alkie- have had many of the same type of convo's with people about austin. Nobody believes it. All I can tell them is that it ain't like the rest of texas and they can't conceptialize that. Best I can compare it to would be maybe San Diego. That place has a different feel (probably b/c of the huge miliatary influence) then the rest of CA- politics wise. Austin it the opposite b/c of UT and the Capitol influence.

Boulder is in the same situation in Colorado.

Bench · « **Reply #39 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:40:00 pm »

In response to your concerns, ESPN will be showing Yanks-Devil Rays tonight.

Mr. Happy · « **Reply #40 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:43:54 pm »

Quote from: Bench on April 23, 2007, 04:40:00 pm

In response to your concerns, ESPN will be showing Yanks-Devil Rays tonight.

That's all A-Rod all the time.

strosrays · « **Reply #41 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:53:23 pm »

Quote from: utastro on April 23, 2007, 04:20:17 pm

Funniest bumper sticker I have seen in a while: "Keep Austin Weird/Keep Round Rock Mildly Unusual"

I recently heard somewhere that one of the exurbs (Dripping Springs?) was considering an ordinance to ban the establishment of any Starbucks facility inside the city limits. If so, I think that's pretty funny.

Re: Texas stereotypes. If you can't make them go away, use them to your advantage. I was transferred to Birmingham once, back in the mid-1980's when I was still single, and found out that being from Texas had tremendous cachet, in some circles. I got picked up my first night there, in a Holiday Inn bar downtown, by a woman about 15 years my senior (I was 23 or 24 at the time.) I had been out drinking with some of my new co-workers and was more or less incoherent by the time I ran into Mrs. Robinson, but apparently I was at least able to convey I was just in town from TX, which is all it took.

After that, I found it incredibly easy to get what I wanted just by playing that angle. It happened dozens of times; at a party, in a bar, wherever. . . I could always tell when some 'Bama honey was looking at me like I was some doomed, heroic strong silent type she'd picked up from the westerns, or wherever, and I devloped the ability to maintain the fantasy for her long enough to get her and myself horizontal and happy, I guess you could say. Most times, anyway.

I still don't understand it, really. I've run into milder examples elsewhere since, but never was Texas fever running as high as it was in Birmingham, AL, c. 1984-1986. I'm just glad I was able to be there for it.

Trey · « **Reply #42 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:55:46 pm »

Quote from: strosrays on April 23, 2007, 04:53:23 pm

I still don't understand it, really. I've run into milder examples elsewhere since, but never was Texas fever running as high as it was in Birmingham, AL, c. 1984-1986. I'm just glad I was able to be there for it.

I don't think it was Texas fever, as much as it was "Not Alabama" fever.

WulawHorn · « **Reply #43 on:** April 23, 2007, 05:02:37 pm »

Pravata- that is a good point about Boulder- I've been there 3 or 4 times and it is definately a very liberal, crunchy, granola kind of place. Haven't spent enough time in other areas of COLO to know how similar/different that is from the rest of the state/area

Bench · « **Reply #44 on:** April 23, 2007, 05:04:32 pm »

Quote from: strosrays on April 23, 2007, 04:53:23 pm

I still don't understand it, really. I've run into milder examples elsewhere since, but never was Texas fever running as high as it was in Birmingham, AL, c. 1984-1986. I'm just glad I was able to be there for it.

Works in eastern Europe, too. Plenty of women insisted on calling me "J.R." I didn't mind, and would just hum the catchy theme song into their ear.

pravata · « **Reply #45 on:** April 23, 2007, 05:05:20 pm »

Quote from: WulawHorn on April 23, 2007, 05:02:37 pm

Pravata- that is a good point about Boulder- I've been there 3 or 4 times and it is definately a very liberal, crunchy, granola kind of place. Haven't spent enough time in other areas of COLO to know how similar/different that is from the rest of the state/area

Lived there for 6 years, a college, big money, and LA part timers, town stuck in the middle of a very Republican state.

Trey · « **Reply #46 on:** April 23, 2007, 05:06:43 pm »

Quote from: Bench on April 23, 2007, 05:04:32 pm

Works in eastern Europe, too. Plenty of women insisted on calling me "J.R." I didn't mind, and would just hum the catchy theme song into their ear.

Dallas is HUGE in Hungary. The government regulates what first names you can give to your children there. There's a big list you have to pick from. A couple of years ago, they started showing reruns of Dallas and people petitioned the government to add J.R. and other character names to the list.

Nate in IA · « **Reply #47 on:** April 23, 2007, 05:27:57 pm »

Quote from: pravata on April 23, 2007, 04:25:59 pm

Boulder is in the same situation in Colorado.

I was gonna say that...

When I was in grad school at UIowa (before I moved to Colorado) I was told that Iowa City was a Boulder-wannabe. Lots of truth to that but Boulder is much weirder than Iowa City. Austin is (in my very limited experience) mostly a state capital with a big university (my father taught at UT for a couple years in the late 70s). All else is in the noise.

Nate in IA · « **Reply #48 on:** April 23, 2007, 05:31:35 pm »

Quote from: WulawHorn on April 23, 2007, 05:02:37 pm

Pravata- that is a good point about Boulder- I've been there 3 or 4 times and it is definately a very liberal, crunchy, granola kind of place. Haven't spent enough time in other areas of COLO to know how similar/different that is from the rest of the state/area

Let's just talk the front range for a moment where the vast majority of people live. Fort Collins down to Pueblo along I-25. Boulder is the bastion of the left, Colorado Springs is the bastion of the right. Fort Collins is mostly conservative being somewhat high-tech, Pueblo is mostly blue collar and therefore (is it a law?) leans liberal. Denver is just a big city which means it tends to lean left with pockets of conservative neighborhoods.

Once you get past the front range, it gets real conservative, real quick. Being close the land (even if that land is above 10000 ft) does that to a people.

S.P. Rodriguez · « **Reply #49 on:** April 23, 2007, 06:35:00 pm »

Quote from: Jim R on April 23, 2007, 04:18:44 pm

nonsense. i have only lived here since 1945 so that might not be "long term" enough for you. Austin still is Austin if you do not count the buildings. Round Rock and Pflugerville are not Austin.

You're right. I guess it's just my sense that Round Rock and Pflugerville are really just suburbs with some history. The point I'm trying to make is that separation between Austin and the surrounding areas is beginning to blur. Where do you draw the boundary between Round Rock and Austin? Pflugerville and Austin? It used to be pretty easy. Now, there's a bunch of houses and buildings where there were fields as recently as 10 yrs ago. I guess it struck me when I realized that I'm only 15 miles from Downtown Austin, while I live in Pflugerville. That's closer than my parents, who live in Clear Lake, relative to Houston. And they have a Houston address.

pravata · « **Reply #50 on:** April 23, 2007, 07:21:42 pm »

Quote from: Nate in CO on April 23, 2007, 05:31:35 pm

Let's just talk the front range for a moment where the vast majority of people live. Fort Collins down to Pueblo along I-25. Boulder is the bastion of the left, Colorado Springs is the bastion of the right. Fort Collins is mostly conservative being somewhat high-tech, Pueblo is mostly blue collar and therefore (is it a law?) leans liberal. Denver is just a big city which means it tends to lean left with pockets of conservative neighborhoods.

Once you get past the front range, it gets real conservative, real quick. Being close the land (even if that land is above 10000 ft) does that to a people.

How would you characterize Golden?

Alkie · « **Reply #51 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:55:30 pm »

Quote from: pravata on April 23, 2007, 07:21:42 pm

How would you characterize Golden?

Neo-nazis making bad beer?

Nate in IA · « **Reply #52 on:** April 23, 2007, 09:23:58 pm »

Quote from: pravata on April 23, 2007, 07:21:42 pm

How would you characterize Golden?

I have no idea having never been there nor known anyone who was familiar enough with it to give me an opinion. I gues I'd have to say it's a Denver suburb but that's about it.

pravata · « **Reply #53 on:** April 23, 2007, 09:56:22 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 08:55:30 pm

Neo-nazis making bad beer?

Possibly, but you couldn't tell about the beer just by looking. We used to drive from Boulder to Littleton along the Front Range. You'd be clipping along pretty good, farms, views of rocky outcropping, then wham, Golden. Roads full of potholes, cops everywhere, poor clapboard houses. Imagine the poorest crappy west Texas speed trap and you've got Golden.

mihoba · « **Reply #54 on:** April 23, 2007, 09:58:35 pm »

Quote from: Nate in CO on April 23, 2007, 09:23:58 pm

I have no idea having never been there nor known anyone who was familiar enough with it to give me an opinion. I gues I'd have to say it's a Denver suburb but that's about it.

I like the fact that you can drive for 30 miles and be on the highest road in the USA.

Now that's some serious elevation. I got out of my truck at the summit, took about 10 steps and had to sit down.

drew corleone · « **Reply #55 on:** April 23, 2007, 10:16:22 pm »

Quote from: pravata on April 23, 2007, 09:56:22 pm

Possibly, but you couldn't tell about the beer just by looking. We used to drive from Boulder to Littleton along the Front Range. You'd be clipping along pretty good, farms, views of rocky outcropping, then wham, Golden. Roads full of potholes, cops everywhere, poor clapboard houses. Imagine the poorest crappy west Texas speed trap and you've got Golden.

I did the Coors tour a few years ago and had lunch in Golden, and I thought it was an okay little town.

pravata · « **Reply #56 on:** April 23, 2007, 10:20:03 pm »

Quote from: drew corleone on April 23, 2007, 10:16:22 pm

I did the Coors tour a few years ago and had lunch in Golden, and I thought it was an okay little town.

I've driven through the place about 60 times, at top speed, 35 mph.

L.I. Bill · « **Reply #57 on:** April 23, 2007, 10:39:16 pm »

Quote from: UnholyToledo on April 23, 2007, 03:49:32 pm

I'm not sure I agree but the consensus opinion was, it's a purely economic calculation on ESPN's part. The "neutral" or "casual" fan, the argument went, is much more likely to watch a Sox-Yankees game than any other matchup not involving their home team. For ESPN that means higher ratings, higher priced ad time, higher revenue, etc. I don't know of any specific hard evidence to support that; i'd like to know if it's the real answer or not.

That's pretty much the real answer.

What game they show isn't really a question of northeasterners in general and New Yorkers in particular thinking that we're the center of the universe (we, of course, do - but that's a different story) because we're going to see this game whether it's sent out nationally or not -- and, particularly at this time of year, most here would probably prefer it NOT be the Sunday night telecast so they could hear their regular announcers and have the game end at a decent hour.

But the folks at ESPN know that while baseball sells real well regionally it doesn't so much nationally so they're going to pick the game they think has the best national story in much the same way they gave us Cubs/Cards at every opportunity when the Sammy & Marky show was going on.
Right now, between the fact that these two teams have finished 1-2 for 10 years straight now, the current arm$ race they're having, their epic '03 & '04 post-season matchups, plus all the ex-natives now scattered all about the country, they're betting that more non-NY/NE types will be interested in this game than they would in a different regional contest not their own.

Now, does the ESPN crew get overly excited about this at least in part because Bristol, Conn is located right about at the mid-point between NYC & Boston? Sure! ... but of course you gotta remember that ESPN would over-hype a marble shooting contest so long as they were the ones televising it.

Kent's Moustache · « **Reply #58 on:** April 24, 2007, 12:44:06 am »

Quote from: drew corleone on April 23, 2007, 04:23:47 pm

I like supporting local business and all, but if I can grab a CD at Best Buy in North Austin for $10, as opposed to driving down to Waterloo and getting it for $15, then I'm going to do it, and the long-time Austinites can get pissed off at me all they want. Now I'll be right there with them up in arms when the "Dallasification" gets so bad that I can't wear my flip flops and baseball hat into a bar without getting weird looks.

You must not be going to the right bars in Dallas.

Of course, if I had my druthers, I'd be frequenting the "right bars" in Austin, rather than the "right bars" in Dallas, myself.

Col. Sphinx Drummond · « **Reply #59 on:** April 24, 2007, 06:53:32 am »

Quote from: drew corleone on April 23, 2007, 04:23:47 pm

I like supporting local business and all, but if I can grab a CD at Best Buy in North Austin for $10, as opposed to driving down to Waterloo and getting it for $15, then I'm going to do it, and the long-time Austinites can get pissed off at me all they want.

I'm not pissed off, I'm surprised that you could find anything of value in the Best Buy record section.

I got a $25 gift certificate for Best Buy from one of my nephews at Christmas. I decided to spend it on a cd and wanted to get Alejandro Escovedo's The Boxing Mirror. Do you think I could find it at Best Buy? Hell no! There was everything from Good Charlotte to Trace Adkins to $0.50, but nothing any good. Was there someone there to help me find it or special order it for me? Hell no! I think I understand your point to be: why be loyal if it cost more. I'm not arguing that. I'm just saying Best Buy sucks as a record store.

I visited Australia a few years back when I was still living in St. Louis. When the locals there would hear me speak, they would invariably respond with, "You're an American! From the States or Canada? (apparently Canadians abroad get pissy when mistaken for a citizen of the USA, and this is an Aussie hedge).

I'd respond with, "from the States." They then ask, "where from?"

The first few times I answered, "St. Louis." I was met with blank stares. So I changed my answer to, "Texas."

To which they would repond with something like, "TEXAS!!! Well, howdy pardner!"

And they meant it in a most friendly manner with genuine interest. I made a few friends there, had a great time, drank a lot of Victoria Bitters.

drew corleone · « **Reply #60 on:** April 24, 2007, 09:22:53 am »

Quote from: Kent's Moustache on April 24, 2007, 12:44:06 am

You must not be going to the right bars in Dallas.

Of course, if I had my druthers, I'd be frequenting the "right bars" in Austin, rather than the "right bars" in Dallas, myself.

Maybe not. I will say that until we decided to change the mojo after the 65-13 debacle, our tailgate group would go to the Starlite Lounge at 7 am before the Texas/OU game. Now flip flops and cap there is overdressed. I'm really not much of a Dallas person to begin with.

WulawHorn · « **Reply #61 on:** April 24, 2007, 11:36:17 am »

Yeah- that starlite lounge deal was all fun and games until I got jacked in the neck with a pool cue.

It was funny b/c of all the times in my life I've probably deserved it (and there have been many I'm sure) that most definately was NOT one of them.

As to Aussie's, the wife and I went there on our honeymoon and loved it. We told people we were from texas and that was always a good convo starter- even had a couple buy us dinner one night.

drew corleone · « **Reply #62 on:** April 24, 2007, 11:52:00 am »

I forgot about the pool cue incident. We were so beaten down after that shit that we didn't even want to drink anymore.

Were you there for the infamous, "I just come here till my regular bar opens" comment?

WulawHorn · « **Reply #63 on:** April 24, 2007, 12:07:45 pm »

yes- that was greatness.

gabe

ybbodeus · « **Reply #64 on:** April 24, 2007, 07:28:35 pm »

Quote from: Alkie on April 23, 2007, 02:33:07 pm

"Yes, a cowboy dentist. Why don't you come on out to the ranch and we can shoot Injuns and you can fuck our donkey, you stupid bitch."

To quote Harrison Ford's character in Mosquito Coast: "THAT'S why I'm here!!! THAT'S why I came!!!"

Holly · « **Reply #65 on:** April 24, 2007, 08:43:23 pm »

Quote from: ybbodeus on April 24, 2007, 07:28:35 pm

To quote Harrison Ford's character in Mosquito Coast: "THAT'S why I'm here!!! THAT'S why I came!!!"

Very nice! One of my favorite movies. Time for something with ice in it

ybbodeus · « **Reply #66 on:** April 24, 2007, 10:12:01 pm »

Quote from: Holly on April 24, 2007, 08:43:23 pm

Very nice! One of my favorite movies. Time for something with ice in it

May I recommend a Glenmorangie with a splash....soda man, personally (with apologies to the purists).

Phil_in_CS · « **Reply #67 on:** April 25, 2007, 07:24:33 am »

Quote from: ybbodeus on April 24, 2007, 10:12:01 pm

May I recommend a Glenmorangie with a splash....soda man, personally (with apologies to the purists).

That's blasphemy.
If you're going to shell out for the good stuff, drink it, don't dilute it.

Author Topic: No East Coast Bias Here (Read 10845 times)

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