Baseball is pretty much the greatest sport. Ever. It just screams “America!” which is obviously awesome. Think about it. Hot dogs. Popcorn. Sitting around. What could possibly be more American? How about free stuff? That’s the American Dream, my friends.

I bring that up because I was at a BYU baseball game this weekend with my girlfriend and some friends. Sometime during the 4th inning, one of the marketing people for the team approached me in our upper-deck seats and asked if I wanted to be in a promo during the 5th inning. Who’s going to say no to that?

I figured they were going to give me a little stuffed Cosmo the Cougar or maybe a spiffy BYU t-shirt that I’d never wear. But, fortunately for me, this was the Bookstore promo, and the Bookstore wanted to come large. I was told that I’d be playing a version of “Deal or No Deal,” where I’d be given a $40 gift certificate to the Bookstore, which I could either keep, or return to Cosmo the Cougar for a chance to pick one of three boxes. (On no uncertain terms I was instructed to choose one of the boxes. “You might want to think twice about choosing box 3 though,” the promo guy told me. “It might be lame.”)

Anyway, the fateful moment came, and it was showtime. I gave the card back to Cosmo and, wisely avoiding box 3, chose box 1. They turned over box 2, which was a DVD player (I started to sweat a little here). Then came box 3 (a box of pushpins. Thanks, Promo Guy. I owe you.). Finally, they turned over box 1 to uncover… an iPod Shuffle. Needless to say, I was ecstatic.

So let me just say that I now love America. Also, I now also love the bookstore more than I ever have in my entire life, especially during the beginning of every semester when I have to hemorrhage cash to get my textbooks. I can’t help but feel like I deserve a little something back after all the benjamins I’ve dropped into their coffers. Now about that tuition…

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