As a Fresno State grad — but not a huge sports fan — I'm rooting for the Bulldogs, mainly because while attending Fresno State my encounters on campus with baseball players was always pleasant. The student athlete baseball players — along with their female softball player counterparts — seemed more connected to the campus then the basketball or football players. I'm not sure if it's the case now — I did graduate in 1997 — but I'm still rooting for the Dogs. (Though I'm just reading the Bee coverage. Haven't actually watched a game. College baseball with the metal bats and glacial pace is god awful boring.)

Hey, Donald, let people have some joy. There's been a lot of bad news lately (floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, Tim Russert's death, etc.). If the Bulldog baseball team's surprising success gives people a lift, let them revel in it. You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this one. These kids are playing out of their heads, beating teams ranked higher than them and doing it in swashbuckling fashion. It's just a lot of fun. Don't be a Scrooge.

Now Felicia. The killjoy argument isn't exactly your strongest here (and tossing in Tim Russert? I'm not sure that's playing fair, and besides, you're going to get me going on how the media embarrassed itself by so totally overcovering the admittedly sad death of one of its own), especially when thinking back to your evisceration of "American Idol" earlier this season. Just think of the people who were trying so hard to block out the sadness of life (floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, the death of Suzanne Pleshette) by embracing the stirring tones of Brooke White, and you had to come along with a contrarian opinion. I'm not saying that people shouldn't enjoy the Bulldogs' success, just that not everyone in Fresno cares. And is it so bad to have one little negative comment balancing all the overwhelming Bulldog boosterism going on? I remain, proudly, the Scrooge. :)

Ohmigod. Could it be?

A blog war between Felicia Matlosz and Donald Munro? I'm giggling with excitement.

Donald, let people enjoy the Bulldog moment. Nothing wrong with that. As a journalist, you should be up on many things going on in the world, including sports! And Donald, if anything every happened to you, God forbid, I would be just as sad as I am at Tim Russert's passing.

Heather, does a blog war mean that I have to arm wrestle anyone? Because Felicia goes to the gym a lot more than I.

Actually, Felicia and katbon, you're probably right that I should lighten up on the 'Dogs. I was in Extra Cranky Mode yesterday because I'd just written my "Love Guru" review.

Donald you saw Love Guru?

You have my sympathy. Dear God....

I agree with Michael. I forgot you had to sit through that waste of time. That would make me cranky, too. (So I'll forgive you for the snippy comment you wrote about my earlier remarks that you lighten up)... Now get to the Bulldog Shop and buy a World Series t-shirt before Friday's game!

Don't push your luck regarding the T-shirt, Felicia. I'll buy one when we find out that one of Fresno State's academic departments has been ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Sigh. Donald, I have to say-- this is why people think artsy people are snobs.

The problem is, your "why is this important" attitude is just as easily applied to a Fresno native winning a Tony-- and often IS.

Forget the killjoy argument. I don't care what's going on in the world-- I'm going to celebrate when anything from Fresno does well, whether it be a Tony Award, an Emmy nom, or an amazing athletic performance. Why? Because that's what we DO. We support our city, because if we don't, who will?

So please. Don't alienate a whole group of people just because you don't share the same interests. Arts vs. Athletics already has enough animosity.

To Elizabeth: I understand where you're coming from -- and can see why you think I'm just being an obnoxious crank. I'd like to clarify something here. I don't really have anything AGAINST the Fresno State baseball team per se -- it's just that I don't really care. That might seem like sacrilege to a sports fan or to someone who enjoys rallying behind an achieving team in the name of community spirit. My annoyance at the hoopla over Bulldog mania is more about the scale of the coverage in the media than the fact that it exists. I think about the acres of front-page space devoted to the series over the past week or so, and all those minutes of TV news, not to mention the expense of sending all those Fresno media folks halfway across the country to cover the event in such minute detail. Is it really worth it for the Fresno media to spend more money covering this story than any other this year? If you had a choice, what would you vote for in terms of precious resources: coverage of the environment, the presidential election, our bad air, social injustice, urban sprawl, rampant poverty -- or the Bulldogs?

Sure, I understand the place that sports occupies in American society. And, yes, I realize that part of me is simply in backlash against what I think of as the military-industrial sports complex so firmly entrenched in our lives. Human beings are territorial creatures, and evidently it gives many of them great pleasure when a sports team from their geographical area manages to triumph over a sports team from a different location. (Does this mean that sports are a substitute for more destructive pursuits, such as rallying your neighbors together and arming them with clubs to whack everyone who lives in the next town over, and it's actually a healthy way to sublimate our age-old aggressive tendencies? Perhaps, or at least some prominent thinkers believe so.) I was in my college marching band and went to every football game -- so I even know firsthand what it's like to get caught up in the excitement of a game. But I also think that what we're dealing with in terms of Bulldogs coverage is a teensy bit of overkill.

As for "offending" sports fans, why so sensitive? I think they can take it. And besides, if you characterized the partisan tilt of all the words devoted to the Bulldogs world series in The Bee, you'd probably wind up with 99.9% positive and 0.1% negative. I'm pretty confident that there are more than 0.1% of the readers out there who, like me, don't really care. Think of it as a little balance.

Diamond Dogs is originally a 1974 David Bowie song from the album of the same name. And better than the Beck version.