Jays Win, But I Eat The Worst Hot Dog Ever

The call-in show after the game is what it is: a call-in show. Mildly entertaining, although if I had to listen to all the half-wits who call in to those things, I would run a drill bit through my ear into my skull. Seriously. One guy calls in and said he can't wait until Creighton plays Pine-Bluff next year, because they'll be lucky to win. Goes on to say the refs were against Pine-Bluff, and if they'd given them a few calls, they might have won. That Creighton was not impressive and they'll struggle.

This is where I turned it off, because these are the kind of people who call into these shows. Seriously, when you lose by 32 points, no amount of jobbing by the refs can cause that. You lose by 32 because you're not as good as the other team. Period. End of discussion.

--

But anyway. The game was at 1pm Saturday, so with my late night Friday night, I was not up in time for breakfast. And I waited on lunch until I got to the arena so I could overpay for nasty food. Because that's so much fun.

All I wanted was the simple taste pleasure of a hot dog. But the first concession window was all out -- they had to make them. This is not the first time this has happened at the Qwest Center. I mean, when the game is at 1pm, you would think someone would anticipate a larger-than-usual consumption of hot dogs. But, as was an ongoing issue the previous two years, they ran out. I mean, they could maybe get some hot dogs cooked about 12:15 to be ready for when the doors open. But no.

So I walked to another stand, on the other side of the arena. They had hot dogs ready! You bet! Paid $4 for a Jumbo All Beef Hot Dog, and $4.50 for a Large Diet Coke in Souvenir Cup! Bit into the hot dog...

And it was so rubbery my teeth bounced off the casing without searing through it. I've attempted to eat toy hot dogs made of plastic that were easier to chew into. And the bun was no delight either -- hard as a crouton, it crumbled away every time you bit into it. The ketchup was good. But seriously, when the condiment is the best part of your sandwich -- that is not a good sandwich.

I was so hungry I scarfed it down anyway. Then I went to my seats, and discovered that little Jeffrey, the five-year old who sits with his dad next to my seats, thought he was a dog. He just kept barking the whole game. At least we weren't playing Drake!

Later in the game, I went back up for more food. This time, popcorn and a drink. The machine was empty, so I finally learned how they make popcorn at the games -- they pour in pre-made popcorn from a big bag. Seriously. Its not even fresh. Its like, trucked in from Alaska or something. But you know what, amazingly it was still fresher than the hot dog.

As for the game itself, the Jays looked good. The defensive lapses that were so galling last Sunday night against UNK were mostly history. They have so many scoring options right now, there will not be many nights where they play in the 50s and 60s. Seriously, they have 6 legitimate scoring threats. Nate Funk still shoots threes and makes about 75% of them, all the while making big plays and firing up the crowd. Anthony Tolliver blocks shots, takes the ball down low to draw the defense, then kicks it out to the wing for an open three -- or uses his new Kareem Hook Shot which I have not seen him miss on yet this year. Deadly, it is. Dane Watts plays solid defense, makes all the energy plays, runs the floor as a big man, and dunks like nobody's business. And Jimmy Motz is Jimmy -- instant offense off the bench. He doesn't do anything but make threes.

And honestly, why is that wrong? People make fun of Jimmy for his lack of rebounding ability, his quicksand feet and lack of any real ability to create a shot. But understand, there are other people to do those things. You want rebounding? Tolliver, Day, Watts and even Funk will handle that. You want dribble penetration? Mathies, Funk and new guy Brice Nengsu will do that. You want guys who can create a shot? Funk and Mathies again. No, Jimmy's role is to come off the bench, stand around the arc until he's open, and then hit threes. Again and again. And flap his arms around getting the crowd excited. On other teams, maybe a guy with these deficiencies hurts you. On this Jays team, he's just one more important piece of the puzzle.

Otter over at the Bluejay Basketball Blog has a nice piece this morning on silencing the critics who harp on Dana Altman to start Jimmy, among other notes. Good stuff, as usual from this outstanding writer. I especially like his point that Jimmy best helps the team -- and himself -- by coming off the bench to provide a spark.

Torear points out at the Bluejay Cafe that the free throw shooting continues to be a struggle -- just 58% in the game. That will come back to bite you on the road.

All in all, a Jays win over an overmatched opponent. Next up is George Mason on the road -- a huge, HUGE trap game. This game scares me. GM took #18 Wake Forest to overtime before losing last week, and they're calling the Jays visit their biggest non-conference home game in years. When you don't even recruit the DC area, and your national cred will not be increased by winning, playing this game makes no sense. There's a lot to lose here.

Anyway, the final totals:

$5 Schlitz Beers consumed: 0 (it was a day game, come on!)

$4.50 Diet Cokes in Souvenir Cups: 2

Badass Dunks: 4

Nasty ass hot dogs "enjoyed", and I use that term loosely: 1

Occurrences of "The Altman Face": 5

Boxes of Fresh-From-The-Truck Popcorn: 1 (although it tasted fresh)