SPORTS
Friday, October 20, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3B
College Football
Social media helping college teams start new traditions
By STEVE MEGARGEE
Associated Press
In an era when it’s
increasingly difficult to get
fans in the stadium, it appar-
ently isn’t so hard to get them
into new rituals.
Average attendance at the
Football Bowl Subdivision
level has dipped nearly 6
½ percent over the last six
years — from 46,632 in 2010
to 43,612 last season — and
lagging student interest
during the digital age is
considered a factor. But in
a sport that loves its history,
the same technological
advances that tempt fans to
stay home also make it easier
for programs start their own
game-day traditions.
It has become apparent
in Florida’s last two games,
as the Gators have mixed
practices old and new. As is
customary, Gator fans sing
“We Are The Boys From Old
Florida” at the end of the third
quarter. Now they follow that
up by singing along as the
public-address system plays
“I Won’t Back Down” by
Gainesville, Florida, native
Tom Petty , who died Oct. 2.
The “We Are The Boys
From Old Florida” singa-
long has been going on for
decades. The decision to
play Petty’s song right after-
ward arose following Petty’s
death, but fans knew what
was planned because Florida
announced its intentions
beforehand.
Just like that, a potential
new tradition was born.
“To see that after ‘We
Are The Boys,’ to hear that
place (sing) in unison, it
was special,” Florida coach
Jim McElwain said. “Credit
goes to the people who put it
together, and more than that,
the response of the fans. And,
ultimately, ‘I won’t back
AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File
Ever since Arizona State unveiled a statute of former
defensive back Pat Tillman outside the school’s stu-
dent-athlete facility just before the season, the Sun
Devils have made a point of touching the statue as
they head to the field before every home game.
AP Photo/John Raoux
In this Oct. 14 photo, Florida fans wave cell phone lights and sing the Tom Petty
song “I Won’t Back Down” at the beginning of the fourth quarter of the team’s
NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Gainesville, Fla. This is a new
tradition to honor Gainesville native Tom Petty, who died earlier this month.
down’ — it kind of hits home
for me.”
The quick turnaround of
Florida’s Petty project high-
lights the potential for social
media to impact tradition
making. For example, when
a school wants to “stripe” its
stadium in school colors, as
West Virginia did last week
before its game with Texas
Tech, school officials merely
remind fans on Twitter which
color to wear based on where
they’ll be sitting.
“I think it’s actually a
little easier to start a tradition
now in the digital age,”
Houston athletic department
spokesman David Bassity
said. “You’re able to commu-
nicate and get information
out ahead of time. I remember
going back as a high-school
student or in junior high with
season tickets to Oklahoma,
they tried popping out the
‘shock wave’ — a wave from
the first row to the very top
row, like a vertical wave. But
no one really knew about it
until you got to the game and
it was kind of a half buy-in.
Now you have your digital
platforms and you can let
people know what you want
to do. It becomes your own
organic word of mouth.”
Florida isn’t alone. A
number of programs have
successfully launched new
rituals. They may not be as
old as the Friday night yell
practice at Texas A&M or the
rolling of Toomer’s Corner at
Auburn, but these practices
have quickly become a part
of their school’s football
culture:
HAWKEYE WAVE: No
new college football tradition
has garnered quite as much
attention this year as Iowa’s
friendly greeting. After the
first quarter of home games,
fans wave to patients at the
UI Stead Family Children’s
Hospital that’s adjacent to
Kinnick Stadium. Patients
and relatives often are
looking out the window and
waving back.
HOUSTON’S ‘CAGE
SWAY’: After the Cougars
finish
their
pregame
warmups, they gather in front
of the student section , lock
arms and sway back and forth
while engaging in a call-and-
response with the students,
who also are locking arms
and swaying. The practice
started in 2015. “The song
had been one some of our
players had kind of created
a while back and was more
of an inside-the-locker-room
type of deal,” Bassity said.
“It became a matter of what
if we do that with the student
body before we go up to the
locker room?”
TOUCHING
THE
STATUE:
Ever
since
Arizona State unveiled a
statute of former defensive
back Pat Tillman outside
the school’s student-athlete
facility just before the
season, the Sun Devils have
made a point of touching the
statue as they head to the field
before every home game.
“If you are going to go
out there and touch that
statue, you get out on that
field and you bring it like he
did,” Arizona State coach
Todd Graham said. “If we do
that, great things are going to
happen.”
H O N O R I N G
BEAMER: When Justin
Fuente took over for the
retiring Frank Beamer as
Virginia Tech’s coach last
year, he chose to honor his
predecessor by handing
out Beamer’s retired No.
25 jersey to a special teams
player of the week. Beamer’s
Virginia Tech teams were
known for their exceptional
special-teams performances.
OPENING
THE
GATES AT WAKE: Wake
Forest has a prominent alum
or former Demon Deacons
athlete open the BB&T
Stadium gate and lead the
team onto the field for every
home game . Former Wake
Forest stars Arnold Palmer,
Tim Duncan and Chris Paul
have already taken a turn.
“It came out of our
marketing
department,”
Wake Forest athletic depart-
ment spokesman Steve Shutt
said. “We were looking for
a way to recognize some
of our alums and former
athletes. When you a have a
famous person come back to
campus rather than just have
them stand up in a stadium
and (have a public address
announcer) say, ‘Arnold
Palmer’s here today,’ kind of
put a little more meat to it.”
ALCS: Verlander coming off of 124-pitch complete game shutout in Game 2
Continued from 1B
definitely have a lot more
energy and confidence after
outscoring the Astros 19-5
and outhitting them 25-12 in
their three home games.
And they have already
turned the tables on Dallas
Keuchel, the other Astros
ace who lost Game 5 after
winning the series opener
with 10 strikeouts over
seven scoreless innings.
“Look at a number of
other players that have
been through playoffs, and
they’ve had their struggles,
and all of a sudden they
can get hot,” Yankees
manager Joe Girardi said.
“And I think everything is
magnified when you’re in
the playoffs, and two games
seem like forever, where if
you struggle two games in
the season people don’t say
much.”
The Yankees are one
win away from their first
AL pennant since 2009 and
record 41st overall.
Houston has to win
Verlander’s start and then
another game for its first AL
pennant. The Astros were
still in the National League
for their only World Series
appearance 12 years ago.
Verlander in Game 2
threw 124 pitches, exactly
twice as many as Luis Seve-
rino did for the Yankees.
That is also the starting
matchup for Game 6.
Severino didn’t take the
mound for the fifth in Game
2, an inning after Girardi
and a trainer visited when
the 23-year-old right-hander
uncharacteristically wound
his arm several times soon
after giving up a solo homer
to Carlos Correa. He stayed
in, but then he was struck on
the wrist of his no-throwing
hand by a one-hopper that
was the inning-ending out.
Afterward,
Severino
said he was fine — and that
checked out with doctors
— and had wanted to keep
pitching.
Now he gets a chance to
pitch the Yankees into the
World Series.
“My (excitement) level
is, I think it’s a hundred,”
Severino said, adding he felt
great after a strong bullpen
session Wednesday.
Verlander made two
World Series starts as a
rookie with Detroit in
2006, and made it again in
2012 with the Tigers, who
completed a trade Aug. 31
to send him to Houston.
General
manager
Jeff
Luhnow has said that major
league baseball approved
that deal two seconds before
the deadline for Verlander
to be eligible to pitch in this
postseason.
So
what
did
the
34-year-old Verlander do in
between starts after the 124
pitches last Saturday?
“I kind of stepped on the
gas. I feel as good now as
I’ve felt all year,” Verlander
said. “This is what we work
so hard for. My workout
regimen in the offseason,
my throwing regimen, my
shoulder regimen in season,
all that stuff, this is when it
pays off the most. ... I came
out of that start better than
almost any I have all year.”
This ALCS so far has
followed the same pattern
as the 2001 World Series
for New York, which then
lost the first two games at
Arizona before winning
three in a row at Yankee
Stadium.
That’s where the Yankees
would like the similarities to
end. They lost 15-2 in Game
6 against Randy Johnson
when Andy Pettitte started
tipping his pitches. Roger
Clemens started Game 7
for the Yankees against Curt
Schilling, but it was Johnson
who got his third win of
the series pitching in relief
after the Diamondbacks
scored twice in the ninth off
Mariano Rivera for a 3-2
victory.
After having to win the
AL wild-card game over
Minnesota, then overcoming
an 0-2 deficit to win the best-
of-five AL Division Series,
the Yankees are suddenly
in an unusual position this
postseason — leading a
series.
“Yeah, it does feel
different,” Girardi said.
“We’ve been on ‘we have to
win today, we can’t afford
to lose today for a number
of reasons.’ But I still think
the attitude will be the same,
win one game. That is what
we’ve kind of talked about,
and that’s kind of what
we’ve stuck to around here.”
EASTERN OREGON
marketplace
Place classified ads online at www.eastoregonmarketplace.com
110 Announcements
301 RVs & Travel
360 Garage Sales
360 Garage Sales
504 Homes for Sale
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2003 - 31 ft Theo 5th wheel. 2
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541-567-1568.
Estate and Garage Sale
Lots of glassware, 2 end tables,
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511 NW Despain Ave Pendleton
Saturday 10am-3pm
Multi Family Sale
Call the “Weekend & After Hours
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166 Good Things to
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OR 97875 Absolute auction.
Picture and listing on Facebook
Columbia River Auction LLC
Auctioneer: Paul Kramer
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360 Garage Sales
ESTATE SALE
Ione American Legion Hall
325 W 2nd St Ione.
Saturday & Sunday
8am-4pm
Clothing, furniture, bikes, and
bins of knick-knacks. Clothing
will be 5 items for $1.00. Furni-
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of knick-knacks are you name
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500 Harper Road Hermiston
Saturday October 21
8:30am - 11:30am
Moving Sale
Starting Friday Oct 20 through
the end of the month.
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Call for information
541-377-1701
705 NW 5th Pendleton
Cash Only
Large Combined Estate Sale
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245 Main Street Pendleton
Friday, Saturday- 8am-3pm
Sunday- 9am-3pm
Half price Sunday on most
items.
All credit cards accepted.
Any questions call Vicki at 509-
953-8746
CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!
Halloween decorations, baby
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920 SW Frazer Ave., Pendleton
Under the 3R’s School
Saturday 9am-??
501 Open Houses
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How Much is your Home Worth?
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CALL: MARGE LAPP
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541-276-0021
CALL 1-800-962-2819
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