To Combine or Not To Combine
Sports
Last night I got into an interesting conversation with my well-respected acquaintance Kenn Tomasch about the University of Connecticut’s womens basketball team’s 89th straight win. His point was that we don’t compare Sandy Koufax’s records to Jennie Finch’s, so why would we compare UConn’s womens team to UCLA’s mens team? At first glance, I thought that was a good argument, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like we CAN compare UConn and UCLA. And here are my reasons:
1) Basketball is basketball. Baseball is NOT softball.
2) We compare records, such as number of hits in a season, from the 2010 MLB season to the 1911 season even though teams from the earlier era played less games (and therefore got less at-bats). Same thing with home runs-Babe Ruth only had 154 games to set his record of 60 home runs in 1927, yet Roger Maris was celebrated for breaking that record in 162 games. Both UConn and UCLA play in the same league… NCAA’s Division I.
3) Wins are wins. In basketball that means you scored more points than the other team. In a streak like UConn’s or UCLA’s, it means your players were better, more prepared, and/or determined to win night in and night out. Whether you are male or female doesn’t matter, unless the streak was ‘88 straight wins against men’s teams,’ which it wasn’t, it was ‘88 straight wins.’
What do you think? Has UCLA’s record been unfairly considered broken?
Life
Ah, Christmas-time. This Christmas, I’m especially thankful for Skype. We’ll be spending Christmas with Jess’ mom, step-dad and Oma, which will be nice and relaxing (with no shoveling of snow!). However, it will be hard not to miss my parents and sister’s family, who will all be together in DC. Luckily, with Skype I’ll get to see the whole family, watch them open a present or two and feel a little bit like I’m there. I also get to look forward to our ’second’ Christmas, when Jess and I head up to Rochester for my mom’s family Christmas party. There are usually about 40 people, it’s extremely chaotic, but a lot of fun. There will be several different games of cards going, and now that I’m an adult, I’ll get to sneak off with the uncles for a drink mid-party. Ah, a Kirchhoff family Christmas 
Other
I thought of this this morning as I was scrambling to find an address and looking at all the cards we received this year. Next year, I’ll cut the addresses off of each envelope and tape it to back of the Christmas cards we receive. Then next year, when I take them out, I will have all the addresses handy and know exactly who sent us cards last (this) year. I feel like Marth Stewart right about now!
For those that may not stop by tomorrow, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and hope that your weekend is full of family, friends and all that makes you happy.
Until next time…
It’s an awesome accomplishment. No question. I know no matter what a man says about how great UConn is comes off as patronizing, but that’s not my intent.
Unless you think Lisa Leslie broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record, we’re talking apples and oranges. You and I seem to disagree that men’s college basketball and women’s college basketball are two different things. I submit that they are. Not that one is superior to the other, only that they are different and we don’t combine accomplishments and then sort by number. And, no, UConn and UCLA do not play in the same league any more than Usain Bolt and Carmelita Jeter run in the same races.
If we want to recognize UConn as the world record holder for consecutive college basketball wins (first off, they have to share that with Indian Hills Community College until they win one more), that’s totally fine. But when the NCAA puts out record books next year, there will be one for women and one for men, and UCLA will be listed as the record-holder for its 88 consecutive wins in one book and UConn will be listed as the record-holder for its howevermany consecutive wins it has by that point.
(As for the Ruth/Maris thing, you are obviously too young to be up on the consternation regarding that whole thing. Records under variable conditions require the consumer to make their own personal judgments as to the validity of the record in question. If you think Eric Dickerson has a legitimate claim to the NFL record for rushing yards in a season, guess what? The NFL agrees with you, even though OJ Simpson ran for 2,003 yards under different conditions. I recognize Hank Aaron as the all-time home-run leader, myself, but when I look in the official records, there’s this other guy’s name on top of the list.)
As to the larger societal question – well, I’m in that demographic that really can’t make a point about anything, being a Caucasian male of European descent. My people had the run of the place for the first 500 years or so, so if I make a point I’m either sexist or racist or whatever you like. But do I believe in the concept of equality of the genders? Absolutely. Can most human males out-perform most human females in endeavors that require size and strength? Yes, that’s just physiological reality. Take it up with The Creator.
But I’m not talking in a broader societal sense here. The simple matter of “UCLA’s Record” is what we’re talking about here. And “UCLA’s Record” is shorthand for “UCLA’s Record For Most Consecutive Wins By A Division I Men’s Basketball Team,” and neither UConn’s women nor Hillsborough Community College nor the Harlem Globetrotters can “break” that record. Surpass the numerical accomplishment? Sure. Do they deserve to be honored for that? Absolutely, they’re incredible.
But our society is now all about making instant judgments on whether or not this thing or that thing is The Best Thing Ever or The Worst Thing Ever or Better Than When I Played or Not As Good As When I Played. To have a rational discussion and rise above the cacophony that ensues in debates of matters of sport is nearly impossible.
Oh, and I’m an “acquaintance” now?