Last weekend, I attended the spirit crushing college (?) football game between Mizzou and Texas.  We bought seats in the bleacher section that was setup behind the end zone near the scoreboard.  We were there to enjoy the game and most importantly cheer for our team (Mizzou).  But rather than spending the night cheering, my friends and I spent the night deflecting nagging comments from a few fans behind us.  They seemed to not like the fact that we were standing.  Despite my attempts to explain that we were at a football game and not at the opera and my multiple offers to switch seats, the nagging continued.  As the game progressed, it got worse.  One particular “fan” was verbally assaulting my friend calling him names and stuff that I will not repeat.  You can read Eric’s version of the events here.  Personally, I got sick of the nagging and moved about 10 feet down where other fans were standing and cheering.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I am all for fans being able to enjoy the game in their own way.  But, I personally believe that when you purchase a ticket to a sporting event (and especially a ticket in general admission), you have the right to stand up and cheer.  I personally accept that this is part of the game and have never complained about people in front of me doing the same.

The worst part of this situation was the atmosphere created by these fans.  When the opposing team was threatening to score on our end zone, I swear that I could hear a pin drop.  All these “fans” who were content to sit and nag us for standing, did not make a single sound when we were defending the end zone.  Of course, my friends tried to compensate with boistrous cheering.  But, it definitely did not make up for the fans who were sitting on their hands.  This is not a coincidence.  Fans that sit, do not cheer because they are comfortable and lathargic.  And in the end, this is why standing is part of the fan experience for sporting events and why fans should continue to accept this as part of the game.

So, I know that I have not been keeping the blog up to date.  I was on vacation (from work and school) and was trying to be as unproductive as possible.  I think that I even slept 15 hours in one day.  This rivals records that I held back in my college days.  But, I am back now and extremely tired after watching the Alamo Bowl go into overtime last night.  And that brings me to what this post is really about—the Alamo Bowl.

The Alamo Bowl last night was a battle between two teams with completely opposite motivations.  One team was completely excited to be playing and looking for their first bowl win in many years and the other team was there for the bowl swag.  This was completely apparent when watching  the play on the field.  Northwestern was running around and making plays while Mizzou seemed content to continue the same laissez-faire play that landed them in the Alamo bowl in the first place.  If the world was fair, Northwestern would have won that game.  But it is not.  Mizzou has Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman.  And, their ability to make plays was the difference in the game.

For Mizzou fans, the game was painful to watch.  Chase Daniel looked awful for most of the game.  He had 3 interceptions and for most of the second half looked like he was throwing to his family in the stands.  The most telling drive was the last one for Mizzou.  With the game tied, Pinkel was content to lay on the ball and settle for a 44 yard field goal rather than put the ball in the hands of Chase.  This led to a missed field goal and overtime.  In the end, Chase showed glimpses of his former brilliance and led the team to a win.

So, where does this leave the Mizzou program?  After last year, the entire state was excited about the future of the program. Daniel, Coffman, and Maclin deserve a lot of credit for bringing this program to another level.  Before their tenure, we would have been content with an Alamo Bowl win.  To their credit, our expectations for success have changed.  But, I think that after what we saw over the last month, we realize just how far we have to go.  Beating Nebraska a few years back was just a first step.  But, the real challenge ahead of Mizzou is whether we can beat a team from Oklahoma or Texas (and I am not talking about Baylor or Texas A&M).

It looks like T. Boone Pickens money went to good use as Oklahoma State upset the third ranked Mizzou Tigers tonight.  Early on it looked like it might be an easy night for the Tigers as OSU’s soft tossing Zac Robinson floated a couple deep passes that almost got Dez Bryant’s head knocked off.   But, Mizzou sputtered after the first drive and a couple of costly field goal misses by Jeff Wolfert let OSU stay close in the first half.

The second half was the shootout that everyone was expecting.  OSU’s Kendall Hunter’s 68 yard dance into the end zone at the beginning of the third quarter gave them a huge boost.  And, Zac Robinson’s ability to buy time in the pocket really was huge in the second half.  A costly interception from Chase Daniel on Mizzou’s last drive on a pass that probably shouldn’t have been thrown sealed the victory for OSU.

Tonight, Mizzou fans everywhere are a bit disappointed.  Mizzou has three losses in the last two years, and all of them have come at the hands of a team from Oklahoma.  Unlike the OU games, this game looked like it was lost by Mizzou and not won by their opponent.  But, as a Mizzou Alum, that opinion is highly biased.  The Tigers must now play a tough Texas team that is coming off a big win over Oklahoma.  This game will make or break Mizzou’s season.

Congrats OSU on a big win for your program.

Wifflefest 2008 went out without a hitch. Jeremy made a well engineered field featuring a custom strike zone and zones for each hit.  The first playoff was won by a team featuring Train, Rengel, Ebel, and I.  The second playoff ended as a draw featuring a pitchers duel between Jeremy and Duely.  No one wanted to go to another round of extra innings in 90+ degree heat.  The achiever award went to Duely for his performance in the final game of the day.

Pictures are online at flickr.  They are available to friends and family only.  So, email me at matt@matthewsmith.com if you fit that category.  Stay tuned, because there are already talks for another Wifflefest with possibly Rengel as the host.