Low low low

Six Marine F/A-18 Hornets flew low over Darrel K. Royal Memorial Stadium, first four and then two, such that just in case you weren’t sure Ohio State’s arrival in Austin was a really big deal, you were convinced. The walls shook, the crowd cheered, and the anticipation climbed yet another level. Then the football was in the air, the cannon fired, and what was supposed to be an epic contest was underway.

Epic it was not. I mean, I suppose it was in that it was a #1 vs. a #2, the first time that’s happened in a regular season game since 1996, I was told. I suppose it was in that there were 89,000 plus in the crowd, the largest crowd for football in Texas state history. The fact that they estimated over 30,000 Ohio State fans were in Austin didn’t hurt either.

The game itself was far from exceptional, however, at least when you’re looking at it from the Longhorns side. A fumble at the 2, an interception when momentum hadn’t made up its mind who to sign on with, and a couple of questionable play calls, and the game was done. This vaunted Texas team that had won 21 in a row failed to score a second time, and lost 24-7. The defense was fine; if you had asked before the game whether they’d be happy holding Ohio State to 24 points, especially if you knew about the turnovers, and most everyone would say that would be about right to put yourself in position to win.

From OSU’s perspective, that was nearly a perfect game by their quarterback Smith, at least in the sense that he didn’t make any mistakes. The quick strike at the end of the first half turned out to be the winning score. At least OSU’s fans -- in the stadium and on the bus returning downtown; as for anywhere else, I can’t say -- were gracious in their celebration.

Already despondent and dejected, I came home to see that the Cubs had lost... again. Wade Miller this time, something like the 37th starting pitcher to lose a game this year for the team. Or whatever. Who can count anymore?

That means the Cubs have gone 2-13 these last couple of weeks. Or 3-17, if you want to go back a bit farther. They’re right back on track to losing 98 games. This is, when it’s all said and done, one of the worst seasons in my lifetime.

My father observed that the team looks lackluster in person last Monday, the game Zambrano left early with injury. It’s one thing for Baker to employ questionable (downright bad?) strategy, but it’s another altogether not to get the most out of his players. For my dad, Baker stands in relief with Leyland and the Tigers, especially after they just flat out cut Dmitri Young.

I think I agree. It’s not that Baker couldn’t manage any team well, but he certainly can’t manage a team like the 2006 Cubs well. It’s a team with no elasticity, no margin for error, and so it never could handle its challenges. Not even to the point of playing up to its best level, which probably still would have been short of the playoffs, even in the weak NL. But while they’ve certainly played like it, is there any way the Cubs are really the worst team in the league? Underachieved is an understatement.

So I see once again there’s the question of a boycott going around. Why do we spend money on a club that performs so poorly? Why not boycott the club, and get enough people to do it so that the organization gets the point by way of denting a bottom line?

Here is what I think is the flaw with a boycott, by way of example: I paid for a ticket to the last game of the season before the Cubs played their first game. I bought it in part because you just never know when a season might come down to the last game, when that ticket represents a pivotal moment, the most important ticket you could hope to have that season. Because I have that hope, and because in baseball the moment you think you have it figured out you’re proven wrong, I will continue to plan ahead for tickets every season. Hope looks forward; frustration and regret look backward. You pay your money and you take your chances; unfortunately, you can’t pay for a baseball game after it’s over.

The matter of concessions and so on? Whatever. If people want to avoid buying nachos and beer or t-shirts because it’s a payday for TribCo, more power to them. If people buy overpriced hotdogs and Old Style, I can’t bring myself to care either way.

I’m left with the words -- and their tone -- of Michael Stipe in “Low.” Has it really been 15 years since I first heard that album, Out Of Time. All I can do -- yet again this year -- is sigh.

You and me
We know about time
We know how things go
They come and go
They live and grow
They pass and go
And glow and glow
Up and down
High and low
Low low low
Low low low