Someone want to explain the "rolling blackout promotion" to me? It isn't in the article.

The White Sox encouraged all the fans to show up wearing as much black clothing as possible. Slightly better than cowbells or thundersticks, but not nearly as cool as the great sausage race.

‘’Dumbest thing I ever saw,’’ he said Sunday of the fans’ rallying tactic. ‘’Just annoying. Minor league.’’

I agree. Same goes for rally towels, thunderstix, etc.

New Year's Day, 1/1/1999. Cotton Bowl. Two hours of sleep, many substances taken into body the night before. 10:30 AM kickoff. As we're walking up, we find out that Mississippi State rings cowbells. A collective groan goes through our group at the thought of 30,000 cowbells for 3 hours. Luckily, we kicked the crap out of them.

Things that make lots of noise should not be taken to games. Including children, if they are incapable of not making a lot of noise for at least a few reasonable stretches of game. Including buddies who are already so trashed that they're belligerent.

The White Sox encouraged all the fans to show up wearing as much black clothing as possible. Slightly better than cowbells or thundersticks, but not nearly as cool as the great sausage race.

Or wearing white. You know, the color that the team's socks are supposed to be.

‘’Dumbest thing I ever saw,’’ he said Sunday of the fans’ rallying tactic. ‘’Just annoying. Minor league.’’

Uh, what? The fans wearing a certain colour to support their team is 'minor league'?

Jenks is doing his best Papelbon impersonation.

Your team's hokey gimmick: bush league.

My team's hokey gimmick: ####### awesome.

Thanks for clearing that up, Bobby. You're a friggin' genius.

Uh, what? The fans wearing a certain colour to support their team is 'minor league'?

No, cowbells are.

Uh, what? The fans wearing a certain colour to support their team is 'minor league'?

Jenks is doing his best Papelbon impersonation.

hey einstein, Jenks is talking about the cowbells

Jenks is doing his best Papelbon impersonation.

allowing no runs in the playoffs?

seriously, cowbells suck. And they don't make sense.

But Thundersticks are 100% worse. At least cowbells serve another purpose. Thundersticks were actually invented to be annoying.

D.C. United's been using the "Blackout" theme for years. I guess he hasn't watched much playoff hockey in the last 10 years, either. Everything old is new again, Bobby.

Listen Up: Cowbells are awesome. If you are going to bring a noisemaker to a Ballpark, it should be the cowbell. It is in line with Baseball's traditional pastoral roots, it is a purely American tradition (unlike Thundersticks, which were created in Korea and slowly migrated over). And finally, Cowbells have a great SNL skit to their name, always a plus.

And ALL DRESSING the same color! Wow, that's really original, after all, it's not like the BFIB don't all wear Red at the same time basically every game.


*Full Disclosure: I bring a cowbell to AAA Baseball Games.

"But Thundersticks are 100% worse. At least cowbells serve another purpose. Thundersticks were actually invented to be annoying."

Tiny flotation device? Crushable packing material? Impromptu sex toy?

Cowbells always remind me of Mississippi State fans-the most backwards, inbreed fan base you will ever see. Their frigging annoying. This whole 'blackout' stuff is getting old and I still don't understand how it intimidates. The Crimson Tide was so frightened by a blackout in Athens they kicked Georgia's ass up and down the field.

Tiny flotation device? Crushable packing material? Impromptu sex toy?

So's your mom.

Somehow I had never seen an example of the "blackout" before despite noticing all kinds of other fan groups wearing uniform colors, until the White Sox/Georgia instances this month. It looks cooler than the whiteout on TV, that's for sure.

Tiny flotation device? Crushable packing material? Impromptu sex toy?

Keeping Reggie Sanders in line?

Cowbells always remind me of Mississippi State fans-the most backwards, inbreed fan base you will ever see. Their frigging annoying.

Bah, Christopher Walken would disagree.

If I were the Rays, I'd start playing "Mississippi Queen" or "Honky Tonk Woman" when Jenks came in to pitch.

I've frankly gotten tired of baseball games becoming football games in terms of fan behavior, anyway. The whole "standing up for every semi-important pitch from the third inning on" thing has grown rather old for me.

I've had people sit next to me with pennies in a coffee can, shaking that for nine innings. Pretty nice way to spend an evening, listening to that.

If I were the Rays, I'd start playing "Mississippi Queen" or "Honky Tonk Woman" when Jenks came in to pitch.

"Grazing in the Grass".

If I were the Rays, I'd start playing "Mississippi Queen" or "Honky Tonk Woman" when Jenks came in to pitch.

"Grazing in the Grass".

"Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw"

Tiny flotation device? Crushable packing material? Impromptu sex toy?

I can tell you from personal experience that cowbells are not good for any of these.

I don't understand how fans can be Bush League. Fans are fans -- why they should be expected to behave differently at a major league game than at a minor league one is curious. It's not like fans get called up when they've proven their fanability.

The whole "standing up for every semi-important pitch from the third inning on" thing has grown rather old for me.

I don't have as big a problem with this as I do with the guy in the third row turning around every inning and imploring everyone to get up with him to show our support. Dude, it's the third inning. I will stand for three things: beer, bathroom, and the guy who just pantsed you to get you to sit down.

I wonder if the Angels will resort to dressing the Rally Monkey in Black and giving him a cowbell. Since it's been proven they can't beat the Red Sox at home.

I guess Jenks didn't have a fever.

Californians everywhere are offended. Insensitive White Sox.

OK Jenks and bleaching your hair and goatee is sooooo coooooollllll!!!

I miss the old days when fans showed their support by heckling, shouting racial slurs, throwing batteries and bottles, starting fistfights, and shooting crossbows at players. Where is the passion, where is the creativity? Now it's all conformity, marketing, and groupthink, and it makes me in some ways ashamed to be fan of this great sport.

hey einstein, Jenks is talking about the cowbells

Hey moron, it is called hypocrisy. See post #7.


Jenks will have a awyas to go before he reaches Pabelbon as my most hated current player. (Though Paps only got the title when Todd Jones announced his retirement.)

You know, I hate to be this guy, but I actually saw the cowbell skit for the first time ever just yesterday, and I had to check with someone to see if that's the "more cowbell" thing I've been hearing for years. I thought maybe it was a watered-down unfunny sequel skit. But it wasn't, it's the one that everyone quotes. I know humor is subjective, but I really expected something.... better.

I miss the old days when fans showed their support by heckling, shouting racial slurs, throwing batteries and bottles, starting fistfights, and shooting crossbows at players.

Not sure about the batteries and crossbows, but there's certainly no shortage of the rest of that.

How are people getting cowbells into NCAA events? My alma mater got artificial noisemakers banned from them years ago.

It is in line with Baseball's traditional pastoral roots,

Baseball's roots are urban, not pastoral, making the cowbell even dumber.

Slightly better than cowbells or thundersticks, but not nearly as cool as the great sausage race.

But then, nothing is as cool as the great sausage race, IMHO.