WTI: Fell on Black Days

Craig:	Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to WTI: Fell On Black Days Edition.
Craig:	So first up today is our assessment of this past week's MMB show, and our look ahead to this week.
Jeremy:	Let's start where they start: Pregame.
Jeremy:	The drum major caught the goalpost toss this week, but the team apparently didn't see it.
Geoff:	That's the trouble with them being in the tunnel.
Jeremy:	As for the backbend, all I'm going to suggest is that he keep the hat on this week.
Geoff:	My mom is still worried that he's going to break his neck one of these days.
Craig:	He does look like the drum major yearling. Of course, I say this as someone who WOULD break his neck if he tried that, so here's to hoping practice makes perfect.
Jeremy:	I think they added Calyptors in the stands this week (that's the calypso version of the Victors), and the quadridirectional Let's Go Blue, which was a great touch.
Geoff:	Agreed. I like Calyptors a lot. Of course, I like the Hoover Street Rag (the Dixieland jazz version of the Victors) better, but it's a much tougher song.

Craig:	I was impressed with our mobile fanfare unit deployments this week.
Geoff:	Fanfare band actually came down my aisle for once.
Craig:	I'm getting the unique experience of six games in six different sections this year, so I am seeing what happens.
Jeremy:	The stadium tour package?
Geoff:	It's cheaper than the bowl trips from the Alumni Association.
Craig:	I have a joke there, but I like my tickets from the Alumni Association, so...
Geoff:	Halftime now? I liked the Beach Boys show a lot, and the Nix arrangements were good.
Jeremy:	I liked it. The Nix arrangements sound livelier. And the annual crowd favorite DANCE(!!!) featured the only wave of the day.
Craig:	I really liked the sound, but next time, I demand mobile theremin.
Geoff:	We did have a couple of clarinets run into each other. Oops. One of them started marking time early and got run over.
Jeremy:	If you're reading this, kids, write your moves on your music.
Jeremy:	They made the shape of a surfer on a surfboard, and even had the arms move for balance -- but the stadium cams never caught it! So that's my only complaint: Get the big screen cameras to show the full band shot when it's a recognizable shape.
Geoff:	Agreed. It's hard to tell what some shapes are unless you're on the press box 40 in Row 60.
Jeremy:	I think they made a T-bird logo too, but that may just be my Rorschach analysis.
Geoff:	As you can see, I made it to practice before the game. Boerma seems to run a tight ship there.
Craig:	Great photos on that Geoff. I must say that, even as someone who rocks the shorts whenever possible, the band could not look goofier at practice.
Jeremy:	C'mon, black shoes and socks with hats and plumes are what the college crowd loves these days.
Geoff:	The hats are weird, granted, but everything else is standard issue for a workout. And anyone who's ever seen pregame knows what a workout that is.
Craig:	Well, on the plus side, the hats with plumes are a much better look than some of the hair styles rocked by the college kids today.
Geoff:	You just want them to get off your lawn.
Craig:	Grrr!
Craig:	[shakes fist]
Jeremy:	Saturday's halftime show is Guitar Hero.
Craig:	I demand Monkeywrench!
Jeremy:	Iron Man (longer version of stands tune), Sweet Child o' Mine, Killer Queen, and Freebird.
Craig:	Note to self: Bring lighter.
Craig:	Note to self: Have lighter confiscated.
Jeremy:	However, they're not making any references to guitar hero other than the songs. No guitars, no ovals running across the field, no synchronized bobbing to the beat.
Craig:	No Joel Zumaya cameos.
Jeremy:	My friend Bill suggested they form a guitar on the field and play decently, with occasional mistakes, then rotate the guitar shape vertically and just explode with sound. But alas.
Jeremy:	This is obviously the annual student-focused show, and it seems like they're stopping short of completely grabbing the students.
Craig:	Yeah, but you know, it's really hard to grab the students completely.
Jeremy:	They did pretty well with the Patrick Stewart, Monty Python, and Video Game shows.
Craig:	True that. So we'll see...
Craig:	Now, onto a new segment for WTI: Our roundtable question. Every so often, we'll take on a question from the realm of college football that has no consensus in conventional wisdom. And while I'd like to say this is coming from nowhere, well, we know better...
Craig:	This week's topic: Is it OK for fans to boo college athletes? Gentlemen, your thoughts. Obviously there is no right answer, and we'd love to hear from our commenters on this as well...
Jeremy:	I boo opposing teams all the time. But as for booing my own team, no, under no circumstances.
Geoff:	I won't give people grief over doing it, because I've done it on a few occasions, but I don't like it. You don't help anyone.
Craig:	I don't like it, but it does leave fans powerless to express their displeasure with things such as the coaching staff or the playcalling...It's not like people can hold up Wile E. Coyote style signs to to explain whom you are booing at.
Jeremy:	I'll certainly complain up a storm, but I'll keep it to the people around me. The players need to hear my support.
Geoff:	One condition I'd want to apply is that you don't earn the right to boo anybody if you haven't been loud when you're supporting the team.
Jeremy:	I think staying quiet and letting the opponents' cheers come through works well enough. Oregon players were feeding off our booing, trying to pump up (or tear down?) the crowd to get more.
Craig:	So you're saying that withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy.
Jeremy:	The marching band conditioning probably helped me, as they were always very strict about not booing or swearing, and staying positive.
Jeremy:	My grandfather staring at me in icy silence often changed my behavior far quicker than yelling at me would've.
Craig:	Can we call the players by their middle names?
Geoff:	Not anymore, now that the free programs are gone. Does anyone know what happened there?
Craig:	We were counterpunted?
Jeremy:	Surely they weren't driven out of business by the not-free programs.
Geoff:	Counterpunt must have been too busy defending players arrested in t3h bestest offseason EVAR.
Craig:	Ahh yes...The harbinger.
Geoff:	Our cynical tailgate partners think that the university wanted to increase sales of the big glossy programs and kicked them out.
Craig:	It's not the least likely idea I have heard.
Craig:	Well gentlemen, shall we wrap this up? This week is Notre Dame...and I'd like to get my hate on, and I am sure I will at some point Saturday....
Jeremy:	I love this week when the anger goes beyond just wanting to win because it's an actual, hated rival.
Geoff:	Yeah, but for me the opponent has become so much less important than this team finding its way again.
Craig:	Agreed on both counts.
Jeremy:	For me, this is about kicking sand in the face of another down program.
Craig:	Which would have the advantage of hopefully righting the ship?
Geoff:	Hopefully we see some spark out there. Or Mike Hart is going to explode in a fountain of rage.
Jeremy:	If they kept a mic and camera on him for the whole game, I'd buy a pay-per-view feed.
Craig:	110%. You could pay for the new basketball practice facility with that money.
Geoff:	Mike Hart doesn't put money in vending machines. He just slips through the cracks in the door.
Craig:	Mike Hart gives you the whole nine yards, but that is only after you presume he has been stopped for a loss of three.
Geoff:	Mike Hart goes through 30-40 pairs of gloves a game because he's physically incapable of letting go of the football.
Craig:	Mike Hart hates Liberty Mutual because he doesn't understand about "The Part Where You Let Go" .
Geoff:	I think I'm spending all of tomorrow thinking up more of these.
Craig:	I think we all should...
Craig:	And with that ladies and gentlemen, we call it a night. Good luck and go blue!
Jeremy:	Please. Please Go Blue.