Wednesday, October 13, 2004
ROOTING INTEREST
So, who do we root for now?
I know a lot of Angel fans hate the Red Sox, and sometimes because of bad experiences with BoSox fans invading Angel Stadium and behaving obnoxiously. Well, I've never really had those experiences, and to what degree I have, I find Yankee supporters even more insufferable.
I also don't hate the Sox because of 1986 or 2004. I mean, in 1986 they were just the instruments of fate, they weren't real villains. And this year, come on, they were just better.
As I'm sick of Yankee hegemony, I'll be rooting for Boston. Boston actually has players I like, such as Johnny Damon and Mark Bellhorn. I always liked David Ortiz, too, at least before he got really good and went _________ on our ass. Bill Mueller's a likeable sort, and so is Keith Foulke. Yeah, Pedro's a brat, but you know, I like Bill James and Theo, too.
I hate the Yankees as an organization, and like many Yankee-haters, I take it out on Derek Jeter. Jeter brings it on himself, with his Paul O'Neillesque whining about every strike called against him and his raising his fist in triumph every time he scores a run. But I actually like A-Rod, and a lot of the other players are inoffensive. I can't even bring myself to loathe Gary Sheffield, who's probably the most deserving. So, all things considered, I'll root for the Sox.
But the Yanks are gonna win. They're just better.
(And another thing: like everyone else in the world outside of New York, Boston, and the Fox studio, I am sick and tired of being asked to genuflect in front of the Sox vs. Yanks Rivalry, wherein every game is a "classic" by virtue of them just showing up on the same field. Doesn't Fox realize that to the rest of us, it's all just a pissing contest? Sure, like most people I gravitate toward the underdog, which is why I'm more sympathetic to Boston in this case. But, come on, people, it's not like this is Lucifer vs. The Army of Heaven or anything.)
As for the other league ... am I a bad fan because I can't get interested in the Astros? I don't know what it is, there is just something very boring to me about that team. Bags and Biggio are fine, so is Berkman. I like Beltran. Jeff Kent's a horse's patoot, and ... well, what else is there? Roy Oswalt? Brad Ausmus? Bland-o-rama, if you ask me. And their uniforms are boring, too. In terms of their past success, they're like the 2002 Angels coming into this season, but still ...
The Cards are at least interesting. Pujols! Rolen! Walker! And I still like Jim Edmonds, even though I think a significant number of Angel fans don't. And I always kinda liked Tony LaRussa and his crazy schemes, like batting the pitcher eighth. I don't even know if that makes sense, but at least it's different.
So to the extent that I'm rooting for anything, I guess I'm rooting for the Red Sox-Redbird match-up, even though the Yanks/Cards is more likely. I don't really care that much, though, it's not like I'll get frustrated and angry like I do over the Halos. But most of all, I'm rooting for good baseball and tight games, which we certainly got last night in ALCS Game 1.
So, really, I'm just rooting for baseball.
So, who do we root for now?
I know a lot of Angel fans hate the Red Sox, and sometimes because of bad experiences with BoSox fans invading Angel Stadium and behaving obnoxiously. Well, I've never really had those experiences, and to what degree I have, I find Yankee supporters even more insufferable.
I also don't hate the Sox because of 1986 or 2004. I mean, in 1986 they were just the instruments of fate, they weren't real villains. And this year, come on, they were just better.
As I'm sick of Yankee hegemony, I'll be rooting for Boston. Boston actually has players I like, such as Johnny Damon and Mark Bellhorn. I always liked David Ortiz, too, at least before he got really good and went _________ on our ass. Bill Mueller's a likeable sort, and so is Keith Foulke. Yeah, Pedro's a brat, but you know, I like Bill James and Theo, too.
I hate the Yankees as an organization, and like many Yankee-haters, I take it out on Derek Jeter. Jeter brings it on himself, with his Paul O'Neillesque whining about every strike called against him and his raising his fist in triumph every time he scores a run. But I actually like A-Rod, and a lot of the other players are inoffensive. I can't even bring myself to loathe Gary Sheffield, who's probably the most deserving. So, all things considered, I'll root for the Sox.
But the Yanks are gonna win. They're just better.
(And another thing: like everyone else in the world outside of New York, Boston, and the Fox studio, I am sick and tired of being asked to genuflect in front of the Sox vs. Yanks Rivalry, wherein every game is a "classic" by virtue of them just showing up on the same field. Doesn't Fox realize that to the rest of us, it's all just a pissing contest? Sure, like most people I gravitate toward the underdog, which is why I'm more sympathetic to Boston in this case. But, come on, people, it's not like this is Lucifer vs. The Army of Heaven or anything.)
As for the other league ... am I a bad fan because I can't get interested in the Astros? I don't know what it is, there is just something very boring to me about that team. Bags and Biggio are fine, so is Berkman. I like Beltran. Jeff Kent's a horse's patoot, and ... well, what else is there? Roy Oswalt? Brad Ausmus? Bland-o-rama, if you ask me. And their uniforms are boring, too. In terms of their past success, they're like the 2002 Angels coming into this season, but still ...
The Cards are at least interesting. Pujols! Rolen! Walker! And I still like Jim Edmonds, even though I think a significant number of Angel fans don't. And I always kinda liked Tony LaRussa and his crazy schemes, like batting the pitcher eighth. I don't even know if that makes sense, but at least it's different.
So to the extent that I'm rooting for anything, I guess I'm rooting for the Red Sox-Redbird match-up, even though the Yanks/Cards is more likely. I don't really care that much, though, it's not like I'll get frustrated and angry like I do over the Halos. But most of all, I'm rooting for good baseball and tight games, which we certainly got last night in ALCS Game 1.
So, really, I'm just rooting for baseball.
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