The Severed Cortex

Link: http://www.siue.edu/ATHLETIC/MBB/20062007/SIUE2.HTM

I don't know why I'm always a week behind on posts about Robert.

Last week I took Robert to watch the Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville mens and womens team play basketball. On the ride over there he told me that he'd never been to a basketball game before which I thought was really odd. I realize his family doesn't have a lot of discretionary income, but even going to a high school game is pretty cheap. Anyway, I wasn't all that keen on watching the womens game. Part of that was because I wasn't sure Robert could stay interested for 4 solid hours. In reality, I was much more interested in seeing whether the mens team was really worthy of their lofty preseason #3 ranking. The week before, the mens team traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska and knocked off a not so good Nebraska team in an exhibition game. For a Division II school, knocking off a Division I Big 12 opponent is nothing to sneeze at, whether that be an exhibition game or not.
We arrived with about fifteen minutes left in the womens game. The women were up by 35 and pretty much ran the floor 'at will' against a clearly overmatched Fontbonne. We watched the men during the shootaround, but Robert seemed uninterested in it. He seemed more interested in the few fans who painted their face and the cheerleaders performing tricks. He barely watched the game during the first half even though I tried to get him interested. Once the second half started he got more interested. I'm sure it helped that the score was really close. SIU-E finally was able to hold on and the seven point win was not indicative of how close the game really was.
After the game, Robert said he liked watching the women play better because they weren't as physical. I'll admit that the mens game was physical, but I think Robert's view was skewed when one of the players for Harris-Stowe caught a fingernail and bled a little on the court. I guess it could also be that the women play a more cohesive team game and the men play more one on one, but I'm guessing he hasn't picked up on that subtlety of the game yet. Once the game was over, Robert heard the PA announcer say that the team was playing again on Wednesday night. Robert asked me if I could take him. I'll have to take that as him enjoying the afternoon.