People always seem to have their differences.
I always wonder why some individuals can not get along with others when it comes to certain topics. No, I'm not talking about the War in Iraq or abortion....I'm talking about PRACTICE! (always wanted to say that)
I always wonder why some individuals can not get along with others when it comes to certain topics. No, I'm not talking about the War in Iraq or abortion....I'm talking about PRACTICE! (always wanted to say that)
Why do some people like some teams while others prefer their rivals?
For some, favorite teams are passed down the family tree. Maybe your grandfather was a Brooklyn Dodger fan and the trend carried down to you. For me, it all revolved around cable television. My father preferred the Yankees but didn't hold a strong allegiance to them or the
Muts. While he did take my brother and I to a game every now and then, most of my exposure to the greatest franchise in professional sports (I know that pissed off some loyal readers) came via television.
In the 1980s, the NY(A) was the only baseball team on basic cable 162 times a year. If I couldn't catch the Scooter on WPIX waxing poetic about cannolis, I could always see Al Trautwig and friends on MSG. BTW, anyone seen Al Trautwig recently? I think he's with Russ Salzberg in the witness protection program or something. Since we didn't have Sportschannel because the bill was too high with Showtime, Playboy Channel, and basic cable, I found idols in Don Mattingly, Alvaro Espinoza, and Andy Hawkins.
Well, 1 of 3 ain't bad.
The same thing is true for my favorite NBA team (the Knicks). Always on MSG....Nets were always on Sportschannel with the Muts and the Devils. Despite the laughable job the current coach/GM is doing to the franchise, I've remained loyal to the team.
Lastly, the Giants became my favorite NFL team because they were the dominant football team when I was a kid. Everyone loved the passion LT had on the field when he was pounding quarterbacks (but not necessarily off the field when he was pounding lines of coke).
Some observations from the Yankees/Mets series:
- Jose Reyes is the most dangerous lead-off hitter in baseball. If you walk the guy, it's almost like you're conceding a run. The guy gets to 2nd base faster than Mike Nifong heads to the post office to apply for the South Carolina bar exam.
- The Muts starting pitching isn't on the right track. I don't know if El Duque or even Tom Glavine sends shivers into any opponent's lineup. Yes, the Yankees don't have a Cy Young candidate, but they're finally getting healthy and pitching strong enough to win game. Unless Pedro comes back at 85 % of what he was, NY(N) is going to go only as far as its offense can carry it. The Muts have an ERA over 8.00 over the past 8 games. Fortunately for the Muts, the NL is a joke (see 90-77 advantage for the AL this season) and that bodes well for their postseason hopes.
- Bobby Abreu is playing to his potential. I thought the New York spotlight might have been too much for Abreu, but he's hitting .400 with 12 RBI for the past 2 weeks.
Well, I wanted to boost my comment count....I'm sure this blog will definitely help.
4 comments:
Toddy,
What I find interesting in the NY area is that people cheer for teams in groups.
You pick the Giants and Yankees. Or the Mets and Jets.
Very rarely is there co-mingling of the two. I suppose it makes some sense, considering the Jets used to play at Shea.
But it makes less sense for people, say, our age or younger who never saw the Jets play anywhere other than the Meadowlands.
None of that, of course, explains why Squawking VFR grew up in northern New Jersey rooting for the Cleveland Browns and The Ohio State University.
most of my exposure to the greatest franchise in professional sports (I know that pissed off some loyal readers) came via television.
Cat, I didn't know you were a Canadiens fan.
Pete,
I think the Mets/Jets or Giants/Spankees grouping comes from the fact that most people are either naturally drawn toward hopping on a band wagon or rooting for the underdog.
Mets and Jets have always been the OTHER team in NY, while the Spanks and Giants the team everyone thinks of first when you talk about baseball or football in the tri-state area.
Bottom line: The Joker is a bandwagoning shill.
By the way, Joker, what number did Andy Hawkins wear?
Short...Hebraic...Bald....call me what you want but I'm definitely not a shill. I've always been and will always be a Yankees fan. Just because I can't remember the number of every player that wore a Yankees uniform doesn't make me NOT a fan of my squad.
If I sat in front of my computer all day munching on Atkins approved twinkies, maybe THEN I could know the batting averages of every player ever to wear pinstripes.
JPendleton: Last time I checked, the Canadians won 24 championships. Two behind the greatest franchise in professional sports. Don't hate.
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