Next week will begin the start of the World Series. It’s most likely to be the Yankees and the Phillies. I'm a Met fan. I live halfway between New York and Philadelphia. I hate both teams.
I am 48. No that’s not the bad part. I became aware of sports at age 8 in 1969. That year, three of the four New York sports teams actually feigned competence. The Mets won the World Series, the Knicks the NBA Championship and the Jets behind Joe Namath, won the Super Bowl. Living in Brooklyn I became a Mets, Knicks, Jets and the cherry on top, Ranger fan. The Rangers and Knicks weren’t really a choice – there was no other hockey team within even a two hour drive of Brooklyn. I could have selected one of the more prominent basketball teams, like the Celtics or Lakers, but with the Knicks being one of the big 3, and Willis limping out onto the court, why in the world would I.
The Yankees were terrible, the Giants were awful, and the Rangers and the awesome Frazier, Monroe, Reed Knicks were always going to be the hot, awesome and only ticket in town. I never expected the terrible joke the cosmos was playing on me.
I’m here to tell you 40 years, and 160 sports seasons later that I'm bitter. I could not have picked a worse possible combination. In fact, there is not a single team that has come to New York since that hasn’t won more championships. The Knicks won the world championship again in 1973 and then went into a 36 year slide that seemed to be a 32 year slow prep for the Zeke years. I was there for the first game of Willis Reeds coaching "career". I hoped Ewing would be Reed.
The Mets won of course one more championship, in 1986. And if it were not for the fact that Bill Buckner is less mobile than a tree, that never would have happened. I truly believe that the only reason for the Mets 1986 success was that the Red Sox curse was just that much stronger than my personal sports cosmos induced hell.
The Rangers of course won one Stanley cup – lets not talk about the fact atht 25 odd years of them acting like they could, and not. By the time the Rangers won, I had firmly come off the bandwagon and it was far too late to get back on. And their performance since makes it seem like it was simply a trying to drag me back in for another 30 years of disappointment
That puts me at 3 championships in 160 sports seasons.
I have heard over and over about the horrible fate of the Cubs fan. I get it. I better than anyone. I feel for them, until I think about Da Bears. And Da Black Hawks. Heck, Da Bulls, who all by themselves, in less
than a ten year period have twice my personal championships.
Little burgs like San Antonio, with only a basketball team, kick my butt. There isn’t a big city around that doesn't double my fourty year total easily. I have tremendous empathy for the people of Seattle (2). I can’t begin to feel for those one team towns, like Portland, with only a basketball team with one championship. I’m sure they’ve picked up allegiance to other sports teams out of San Fran, LA, or heaven help us, Seattle.
I could have picked any other reasonable combination – swapped the Rangers for the Devils or the Islanders. The Jets for the Giants. Knicks for
the Nets. And been better off.
You only live once. Everyone should get to celebrate a reasonable amount of championships. I’ve seen more victory parades for the Colorado Avalanche than all my New York teams combined (I used to work closely with a company in Denver, I was too young for the Knick parade in ’73, too disenchanted for the Ranger parade so my personal parade count - one, 1986).
You cannot change the team you route for. No matter how much I try to like the Yankees, even with visit after visit with clients and friends (people from ANYWHERE ELSE want to go to see the Yankees, never the Mets) I am a Met Fan. And a Knick fan. And a Jet fan (I’ll admit I have been able to route for the Cowboys, but I’m still deep down a Jet fan).
Fathers, please be very careful on the sports teams you let your sons, and daughters, become fans on. Their lifetime sports happiness depends on it. And above all – don’t follow in the teams my son’s made. He’s 8. He’s already picked the Mets (and his Mom, my ex, is a Yankee fan…so close) and I’m afraid he’s gonna follow in my footsteps (it doesn’t look like Minaya is leaving anytime soon).
So here I am. 2009. The Yankees, the other team in New York, is going to play the Phils in the World Series. I hate the Phils and their obnoxious fans along with the Flyers. True regional rivalry. I drive 20 minutes south and every car has 20 Phillie stickers on it. I mean, what is a Phillie anyway (OK, not exactly a compelling argument coming from a Met-ropolitan fan).
The Yankees of course are the local competition, winners of 26 championships and of course their fans are get-in-your-face obnoxious. Not just the best baseball team, but the best sports team ever they claim. I don't just have to go heads up Seaver vs. Stottlemeyer, I gotta deal with DiMaggio, Ruth, Berra and Gehrig.
Well, I gotta make a choice. And frankly, I think I hate the Phillies, the Mets natural rivals, that I’m actually going to route for the Yankees. Which give my track record, isn’t really that good for the Yankees.
Last night the Angels won Game 5. A reasonable World Series is possible. In all my wildest dreams, who would have thought I'd be rooting for the California Angels of Anaheim California? I gotta go see who's on their roster..
