Muse
08-19-2009, 04:07 PM
Off a blog that I enjoy going to
http://www.outincenterfield.com/2009/08/when-the-going-gets-tough/
I love this time of the season. No, stick with me for a second. I know you’re saying to yourself, “Self, Texy’s done gone plum crazy – who the hell loves watching the Red Sox lose the AL East lead to the Yankees, only to watch them cede the Wild Card lead to the Rangers?” But hear me out.
It is easy to be a fan when everything is going your way- when your team is sitting pretty at the top of the heap, with a near-guaranteed playoff spot and a championship ring on their finger. It is easy to be a fan when the pitching is lights-out, and the offense is cranking out runs. It is easy to be a fan when the schedule for the last month shows almost nothing but a long string of “W”s. That’s all very easy to do… it’s fun when baseball is a non-stop party.
But as enjoyable as those times are (and believe me, you will not ever hear me say those times aren’t the most enjoyable times for fans), it is exponentially more satisfying to be a fan when times are rough. Anyone can buy a Pedroia tshirt, and throw on a ‘B’ cap and celebrate the good times, but to my mind, that doesn’t make you a fan — that makes you a consumer. You only really earn your stripes as a fan when you suffer through the low points, the losing streaks, the bullpen collapses, the stagnant offensive stretches and the injury-riddled rosters. It’s pushing through the depths of shittiness that makes the highs of victory that much sweeter.
I must confess that the flocks of fairweather fans astound me. The Sox won a world championship less than 2 years ago, and another three years before that. They played for the American League pennant last year. They have a roster full of talent, and a winning record. Seeing people quit the Sox and flounce off in a huff over this downturn makes me wonder: what team could possibly satisfy them enough? Those folks think we got it bad, imagine being a fan of the Mets or the Blue Jays right now. Or a fan of the Royals or the Pirates in any year. Or a sports fan of any team in the city of Cleveland or Seattle – those cities haven’t hoisted a championship trophy for any sport in my lifetime! The flouncing off of fairweather Sox ‘fans’ is all the more ridiculous when contrasted with the agony of fanbases for teams that actually, you know, suck.
Losing bites. Winning is fun. That is not rocket science. But I love these lean times just as much- because without the contrast, winning it all just wouldn’t mean that much.
And if you don’t believe me, just ask Billy Ocean.
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http://www.outincenterfield.com/2009/08/when-the-going-gets-tough/
I love this time of the season. No, stick with me for a second. I know you’re saying to yourself, “Self, Texy’s done gone plum crazy – who the hell loves watching the Red Sox lose the AL East lead to the Yankees, only to watch them cede the Wild Card lead to the Rangers?” But hear me out.
It is easy to be a fan when everything is going your way- when your team is sitting pretty at the top of the heap, with a near-guaranteed playoff spot and a championship ring on their finger. It is easy to be a fan when the pitching is lights-out, and the offense is cranking out runs. It is easy to be a fan when the schedule for the last month shows almost nothing but a long string of “W”s. That’s all very easy to do… it’s fun when baseball is a non-stop party.
But as enjoyable as those times are (and believe me, you will not ever hear me say those times aren’t the most enjoyable times for fans), it is exponentially more satisfying to be a fan when times are rough. Anyone can buy a Pedroia tshirt, and throw on a ‘B’ cap and celebrate the good times, but to my mind, that doesn’t make you a fan — that makes you a consumer. You only really earn your stripes as a fan when you suffer through the low points, the losing streaks, the bullpen collapses, the stagnant offensive stretches and the injury-riddled rosters. It’s pushing through the depths of shittiness that makes the highs of victory that much sweeter.
I must confess that the flocks of fairweather fans astound me. The Sox won a world championship less than 2 years ago, and another three years before that. They played for the American League pennant last year. They have a roster full of talent, and a winning record. Seeing people quit the Sox and flounce off in a huff over this downturn makes me wonder: what team could possibly satisfy them enough? Those folks think we got it bad, imagine being a fan of the Mets or the Blue Jays right now. Or a fan of the Royals or the Pirates in any year. Or a sports fan of any team in the city of Cleveland or Seattle – those cities haven’t hoisted a championship trophy for any sport in my lifetime! The flouncing off of fairweather Sox ‘fans’ is all the more ridiculous when contrasted with the agony of fanbases for teams that actually, you know, suck.
Losing bites. Winning is fun. That is not rocket science. But I love these lean times just as much- because without the contrast, winning it all just wouldn’t mean that much.
And if you don’t believe me, just ask Billy Ocean.
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