Alex and I went to the KU game last night, our first trip to the Phog Allen Fieldhouse this year. The game itself was uneventful, another 35 point win (KU's schedule has been weeeeeeeeeeak sauce so far) but what I'd like to talk about is the halftime entertainment. They were introduced as "among the best frisbee dogs in the entire United States" and if that is a true statement, then Obama needs to include the Frisbee Dog industry in his bailout programs, because our country is surely a laughingstock.
These dogs were catching mayyyybe 2/3 of the throws, and that's probably being generous. There were a couple nice catches; and when the dog would run up on the trainer's back and stop, that was impressive, but other than that....if it wasn't socially unacceptable to dislike cute little dogs, and if everybody in my section wasn't madly cheering the performance*....I would've probably started booing.
*Including Alex, who is definitely in the group of people who would've been cheering those dogs on even if they were simultaneously attacking the trainers while shitting all over the court. She's a sucker for cute dogs. And that's fine. It also included the weird old guy sitting to her right, who I have a sneaking suspicion didn't speak English, and was most likely attending his first basketball game ever. You know during home team free throws, when everyone puts their arms in the air, then brings them down and yells "Whooosh!" after the shot goes in? That brought this guy's house down. He spent the first half looking around in amazement every time it happened, struggling to comprehend the phenomenon. The next step was giggling uncontrollably every time it happened. By the end of the game, he was enthusiastically joining in, clapping and laughing after every successful "Whoosh!" It was tremendously exciting to watch the transformation. Back to the Frisbee dogs:
I mean, they brought out one little puppy to perform, drawing a chorus of ooohs and aaahs from the crowd.....and then they had to shut him down after only a couple throws, because he flat out stopped paying attention to the trainer, and was just walking around the court in awe. I can't entirely blame the dog for that, I mean, it's The Phog, I know that's what I would do if all of a sudden I found myself in that situation- but then again, I don't tell people I'm the best in the United States at anything, either. I probably should, but I don't. When it was all over, I applauded- but not for the dogs. I was cheering the trainers, who were making it rain out there with those frisbees, putting them in the perfect catching spot every time. Those dogs let them down out there last night.
If the Fargo-Moorhead Acro Team performed at every single sporting event I ever attended for the rest of my life (as well as my birthday parties, social functions, meals from Sonic, and Sunday nights when there's nothing on TV) I would be just fine with it. BT dubs, if you get to the 2:55 mark of this Acro Team performance and you're not clapping along with the crowd, then you can just turn in your friend card at the door on your way out.
