It’s Just Words...

At a home basketball game a few weeks ago, Jennifer Aldrich came up to me and said, “I’m sure you know the answer to this. What does it mean when people say it’s going to be a barnburner?” I said, “Hmm… Good question. Maybe it has something to do with the old gymnasiums that were often called barns. You have a great game with a lot of heated battles and there you have a barnburner. I guess I’m not sure.”

I’ve heard this word used a lot from announcers like the late Dick Wright or Howard Manke when they would do the play-by-play of a state basketball tournament game on the radio, or Dick Vitale of ESPN fame, emotionally analyzing a key NCAA basketball game consisting of highly ranked talented teams. But no one has ever talked about the origin of this word that really does say so much.

The first thing that I did when I got home that night was to Google the word “barnburner.” The Urban Dictionary defined barnburner as: “an especially exciting sporting event such as a football or basketball game, typified by back and forth scoring and a great finish.” In other words a cliffhanger, which is another word that hopefully everyone understands, but I will try to fill some of the younger folks in later.

There was another definition of the word barnburner that had its origins in politics but really has nothing to do with sports, as it does with making another group of people look stupid. Politics is like that now, isn’t it?

A real barnburner will have great plays and a lot of running up and down the playing field, whether it is a basketball court, football field or a hockey rink. It is easiest to describe a basketball game as a barnburner because of the high scoring involved in some of these games.

I think we have all been to a movie or an old western that has a scene where a barn burns down. Whether it is an accident or the bad guys drop by to burn down the young rancher’s prized belonging, there is a lot of emotion involved when the flames grow and the barn succumbs to the intense heat. As viewers, we hope no horses or young children get trapped in this sad event. Emotionally, we are right there wanting to help.

A few years ago, I saw smoke billowing over the horizon at our house. It looked really close and my wife and I drove to where the smoke was filling the sky. As we drove over the hill we could see that a century old barn was fully engulfed in flames. It was exciting to say the least, and definitely sad. The firemen that arrived were out gunned by a ravaging fire that left them quite helpless. Water didn’t have a chance at putting out those flames and the barn ended up in a heap of hot ashes.

Think about those great games that are very intense and heated at times. The game is back and forth with scores for both teams mounting. The gym is rocking with cheers from this side, and then from the other. The referees are hearing it from the coaches and the fans. The emotions build as the game winds down the final four minutes.

We look at the players who appear exhausted. Sweat drips off of them as they try to stop the opponent from cashing in on yet another fast break. The crowd begins to rise to their feet, and will remain that way until the final horn sounds.

As the game continues, the two leading scorers are locked in a one-on-one grinder to the bucket. The whistle blows and your team’s player is called for a foul. There are boos and groans, and the referees hear about how poor their eyesight really might be.

With less than 15 seconds to go in the game, a timeout is called by your team’s coach. Your team is down by one. The ball is inbounded; two passes follow as screens are made to get someone open for that high percentage shot. Then with three seconds remaining, the ball leaves the hand of the only player who can get open. Time seems to stand still as the ball approaches the basket. The crowd has been yelling so long, they are holding their collective breaths.

How does the game end? Well, that is the cliffhanger part of this story. You can leave it to your imagination and hope that the right team wins. Because in real life, the right team always wins for somebody.