1.327 activism, walks

Saturday 10/24/2020

I started the day writing an open letter to Stanford Women’s Basketball, complaining that they have not communicated with their former season ticket holders. I think it was a nice essay, balancing criticism with positive suggestions. I shall append it here.

With that sent, I took a nice walk in the Baylands, a little exercise for me and for the car. Only 2.1 miles, according to the phone, which I think undercounts. Someday I will verify that.

On return I was quite tired, and took an hour-long nap in my recliner. And another shorter nap after lunch, after which I flogged myself out the door for a second walk around downtown. 3.4 miles, almost 9,100 steps for the day.

Later I prepared a Slottr signup sheet for FOPAL. Recently FOPAL was gifted with a massive donation of books of and about art, thousands of volumes, some quite valuable. They are going to hold a special weekend sale November 15-18, and wanted a sign-up sheet for that.

Here’s the letter to the SWBB staff, BCC’d to several fans who all responded enthusiastically.

Dear SWBB: Why have you ghosted me?

I thought we had a solid relationship, 25 years and more, but suddenly you have cut me off, ghosted me completely.

I know there’s a pandemic on, causing lots of uncertainty, but hey, it’s pandemic time for everybody. Stanford Women’s Volleyball has sent me four (4!) emails in the past weeks to tell me about their team. Stanford Men’s Basketball has kept in touch also.

But from you, dear SWBB, I’ve heard nada. Zippedy-doo. Bupkis.

Oh, I get rumors. Thanks to the fan-operated FBC website I know you’ve sent a few tweets, that you are practicing, that there have been some transfers. I hear things — indirectly. Forgive me for stalking you, but I found out via the Cal Poly SLO website that you are plan a game with them! (Nothing about that on gostanford.com — of course.)

But this is long past the time of year when you’d normally ask me to sign up for another season ticket. And all I’ve heard is — silence. Even the Buck Cardinal club, usually so eager to chat, has cut me off.

Look, I understand that at this point, you aren’t sure what a “season ticket” might consist of. When will Stanford Athletics and Santa Clara County agree on a safe number of fans in Maples? (I’m picturing Bernard Muir and Dr. Sara Cody, in masks, eyeball to eyeball over a negotiating table. Oh to be a fly on that wall.)  Will it be January? March? So, OK, you literally don’t know what you have to sell this year, what a “season ticket” will consist of.

That’s no reason to cut your fans off cold! Talk to us! Tell us about the things you DO know, the things you CAN offer. Like exclusive video streaming. Please, please tell us that there will be a better way of following a game in real time than KZSU commentary? Please tell us there will be a virtual pre-game chalk talk, and a virtual Behind the Bench for every game? (And if you can’t tell us you’ve already hired Ros G-O or Chiney as the meeting host and moderator for those — what’s wrong with you?!?)

And remember in the reality of the pandemic, even if the County and the University agree to let some fans into Maples, there will be loyal season ticket holding fans who feel they cannot go — people in the high-risk categories, or who live with high-risk family, or live in a senior residence with tighter rules on “gatherings” than the County’s.

There must be things you can tell us, and even if all you can tell us is “we don’t know”, you can tell us that; and you might even — bear with me here — ask us for suggestions. I know, it’s a stretch, but if you will just communicate you might find you have a deeper reservoir of understanding, patience, and good-will out here than you apparently imagine.

Just sayin’.

Dave Cortesi