The Sports Chameleon

Somethings are meant to be.  Two weeks ago, I had no intention of being in Chicago last week.  But when all of my siblings contacted me independently to ask that I join their Easter gathering in Chicago, it was hard to say no.  My 2.5 day trip involved a plane ride, an 'L' ride, and a Megabus ride.  While in Chicago, a friend unexpectedly called us up to say he had come across 4 free tickets to the Bulls playoff game.  We accepted, and learned that they happened to be at center court, in the eleventh row.  That same day, my brother-in-laws Joakim Noah jersey arrived just in time for me to wear to the game...coincidence?...yep.  I got to watch the Chicago Bulls clinch their first round series against the Pacers in convincing fashion with my twin brother and two of my best friends, in Governor Ryan's old seats, just a few rows behind Rahm Emanuel and Jesse Jackson.  The experience quickly vaulted to the top of the list of my favorite live sporting events.

A funny thing happened in the third quarter, as things got a little close.  I was clearly going to root for the Bulls in this game, being the home team and the favorite team of the friends I was with, but in the third quarter, I really started rooting for them.  I yelled at the officials for continuing to enable Tyler Hansbrough's one discernible skill-pretending to get fouled.  I waved my towel and roared with the crowd as Derrick Rose did his best Derrick Rose impersonation (that is to say, I've never seen anyone like him).  And then a thought occurred to me.  In two weeks, should these Bulls meet the Celtics in the conference finals, I will root against this same team with the same passion I rooted for them.  What does this mean?  I will extol Glen Davis for doing Tyler Hansbrough-like things.  I will argue that Rondo is the superior point guard, not Derrick Rose.  Is something wrong with me?

In the midst of my confusion, I figured out the answer to the question I've been wrestling with since my move to Minnesota.  What kind of fan am I?  The answer:  I am a sports chameleon.

My normal color?  Red Sox/Bills/Celtics/Huskers/Huskies.  Change my environment and you might see a totally different color, the occasional Vikings purple or Bulls red, and a whole lot of Timberwolves blue.  And I am ok with this.  Sports fans come in all types.

1. The Loyalist-Other teams don't exist.  Would never choose another team to play with in a video game even if that means playing Madden with Ryan Fitzpatrick as your quarterback.
Would say things like: "I love the A's way too much to ever wear a Pirates hat, I mean what if they meet in the World Series someday."

2.   The Localist-Only cares about the teams in his/her city.  Constant exposure either leads to extreme pessimism or delusional optimism.
Would say things like: "Jay Cutler is the worst quarterback in the history of the NFL, the Bears have no shot with him."
or, "I like Jay Cutler, he may not be perfect, but at least he gives us a shot."

3.  The Elitist-only loyal to talent and success.  Yankee hat, Kobe jersey, Lebron shoes.
Would say things like: "I've been a Heat fan since 2010."

4.  The A-Gamer-Cares about sports, but has little use for the regular season, particularly when the team stinks.
Would say things like: "I don't listen to bad music, or go to bad movies, why should I watch bad sports."

5.  The Sportscenter Anchor-Doesn't care about the teams, just wants the best story.  No cheering in the press box.
Would say things like: "I can't wait for another Celtics-Lakers matchup, Shaq going for ring number 5 to keep Kobe from ring number 6."

6.  The Fairweather Fan- Like an A-List fan, except without any real knowledge of sports.
Would say things like: "The Vikings are doing so great this year, I love Brent Favre."

7.  The Specialist-  A loyalist, but really only cares about one team.
Would say thing like:  "The Huskers third string long-snapper looked great in the spring game."

8.  The Warlock- Really only cares about fantasy sports.
Would say things like: "I hope the Colts win, but I wouldn't mind if Matt Schaub put up some big numbers."

9.  The Glutton For Punishment
Would say things like: "Go Cubs Go"

10.  The Sports Chameleon.  This is where I fit in, something of a hybrid of all of the above.  I care deeply about my teams, but don't hate all other teams.  I know less about my teams than a loyalist or a specialist, but have enough general knowledge about their teams to have reasoned conversations with them.  I appreciate elite talent, but resent those who easily hop from team to team.  I get caught up in the moment the way an a-gamer or fairweather fan does, it's just that that I also care about the Timberwolves-Warriors mid-February matchup.  I love fantasy sports for the way it connects me to my friends and more obscure teams.  And I know a thing or two about punishment as a Bills fan.

This week I was all red, waving the towel, sporting the Noah jersey, and having the time of my life.  In a couple weeks I'll be all green and saying things like this, "Joakim Noah? Never liked that guy, dirty player" as I wear my Celtics hat with KG's number on it.  It may strike you as inauthentic, but it allows me to enjoy sports in any and every circumstance, while always knowing my true colors.

Staring at Dry Grass

When I traveled to South Africa nearly eight years ago, we went on safari.  Our bus stopped by the side of the road as we approached some animals on one side of the bus.  Almost everyone in our group moved to that side of the bus to take pictures.  I remember jokingly moving to the other side of the bus and taking a picture of the African savannah, minus the animals, and saying, "Everyone has that picture, I'm the only one who has this picture." And that about sums up my experience my year as a Timberwolves season-ticket holder.  It might not have been the prettiest or the most exciting team to follow all season, but I saw something very few others saw.

Today's sports culture allows us to be as good as season ticket holders for the best, most popular, or most interesting teams.  Any average basketball fan can have a reasonably informed conversation about the up and downs of the Heat, the Lakers, the Celtics, and the Knicks.  When it comes to the Wolves, I have an expertise that is singular.  Everyone else has been staring at elephants, lions, and hyenas, I've been looking at dry grass. 

I realize this analogy makes it seem as though I've had a bad experience, but on the contrary, it has been the best sports experience of my life.  Dry grass in South Africa is still more compelling than the dry grass that I grew up with in Nebraska.  And watching a professional basketball team over the course of a season, albeit a struggling one, is far more compelling than only watching the best teams on an occasional Sunday afternoon.  I got to know the players, the coaches, the team, the arena, the fans, and downtown Minneapolis.  So if you'll indulge me, I invite you to come enjoy the view from the other side of the bus.  My take on the 2010/11 Timberwolves season.

Overview

The season was basically a play in three acts.

Act 1: Exceeding Expectations

The beginning of the season couldn't have been any better.  Almost every home game was exciting and close.  The Knicks came to town for their fourth home game of the season, and I witnessed the most exciting live sporting event of my life.  What looked like an easy win for the Knicks, became a 21 point comeback victory for the Wolves.  Somewhere in the third quarter the jumbotron displayed Kevin Love's stats, and we realized we were possibly witnessing history.  He ended up with 31 points and 31 rebounds.  Michael Beasley scored 35.  The Wolves led Sportscenter that night.  They took off on a run of games where they played teams tough, and close, but almost always lost in the end.  However this string of games was more exciting than anything I expected going in.  I could have ended the season in December and felt like my tickets were a worthwhile investment.  Unfortunately, that Knicks win has been the signature win for the whole season.  That was 5 months and 80" of snow ago.  Fortunately we had something else to distract us from the piling losses...

Act II:  Kevin Love is Streaking

If you had told me before the season that the Timberwolves would have an All-Star this year, I would have  said you're crazy.  Even if someone put up the numbers to be an All-Star, certainly the lack of wins would prevent him from being an All-Star.  But no one in years had put up numbers like Kevin Love.  He added his name to lists that included names like Chamberlain, Malone, O'Neal, etc.  So the Timberwolves had their first All-Star since Kevin Garnett left.  He had at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in every game for 52 straight games, a modern record.  The streak itself became a little tacky, but at least it gave us some consolation and the season was slipping away.  The ovations he would receive when he reached those double-doubles was often embarrassing given that the Wolves were on their way to another loss, but he is not to be blamed for it.  As Kevin Love said all season, "Rebounding is not a selfish stat."  And the Wolves don't even run plays for the guy on offense.  Offensive rebounds, wide open threes off of screens, and using his savvy to get to the free throw line account for most of his points.  In the close games he has a knack for coming up with the right play at the right time: a steal, a block, drawing a foul, a three.  This is a guy who clearing hates losing, and I can't wait for him to play on a winning team.  Watching Kevin Love play basketball is worth the price of admission.

Act III: Buy Pepperoni, Get Tickets

Losing adds up.  I don't blame the Wolves, it's a long season, but there is a lack of motivation that is clearly evident.  I seriously thought I was going to fall asleep during a game against Sacramento on Sunday We're all just trying to make it to the end of the season, the marketing department included.


Observations
Kahn Deserves Some Credit
GM David Kahn has been criticized for many, if not most, of his decisions, but he has made this into a more exciting, watchable team with assets.  The Wolves have young talent, cap space, draft picks, and Ricky Rubio on the way (or as trade bait).  However, it is clear that the parts don't fit.  What he now does with these assets is the true test.

Keepers
I've already sung Kevin Love's praises.  If there is one other guy I feel like is worth building around it's Wesley Johnson.  His stats are not eye-popping, but he can do a lot of things on the court.  He seems intent on improvement (almost strictly a jump shooter at the beginning of the season, he has clearly made a conscious attempt to drive more).  He has the tools to be a good defender (the most glaring weakness of the Wolves).  He has a really nice smile.  Some people thought Demarcus Cousins should be the Wolves' pick (myself included).  I watched Cousins on Sunday, he was ejected in the third quarter, and seemed to think he was a point guard.  I know it's a small sample size, but I think the Wolves made the right picks.

Guys I would prefer to see succeed elsewhere
The thing about being a season-ticket holder, is you really do start to care for the players.
Darko Milicic has found a place to belong for the first time in his career, and that makes me happy, but it's tough to watch him fade in and out of games.  He is tall, he is a gifted passer, he is a gifted shot-blocker, but I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player want it less.
Johnny Flynn is lightning quick, but he is too short to do anything once he gets to the rim.  Also, I think he leads the league in passes to nobody.
Kurt Rambis.  Kathy really doesn't like Coach Rambis.  She thinks he sits his best players for too long.  I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I'm starting to think, at the very least, this is a bad fit for him.  He seems too intent on teaching lessons, too intent on running an offense that doesn't fit the personnel, too intent on being Phil Jackson, something just isn't right.

Visiting Players that Impressed Me
Manu Ginobili- Gets wherever he wants on the court.  Makes jumpers.  Moves differently than anyone else on the basketball court.  Just really fun to watch.
Kevin Durant-Totally calm and in control.  Can get his shot off from anywhere at anytime.  I almost saw the Wolves beat them in OT in the second best game I saw all year (after the Knicks game), but Durant simply wouldn't let it happen.
Kobe Bryant-Obviously.  But what is interesting is how inefficient he is.  It's like he spends the first couple quarters trying impossible shots to see how hot he is.  Both times I saw him, he didn't have it going early, and the game was closer than expected.  But when he got down to it in the second half, he was absolutely unstoppable.
Dorell Wright-Not really, but for some reason he made just about every three he took against the Wolves.  Guarding the three point line was one of the Wolves biggest weaknesses this year.

A Quick Look Inside the Target Center

• The only Timberwolves banner in the building celebrates their 2003-2004 Midwest Division Championship.  The one next to it celebrate Minneapolis Lakers hall of famers.  Yikes.
• Instead of screaming during an opponents free throw, we howl.
• When Darko makes a basket, the PA announcer, says "Darko!" kind of the way you do when you are saying "Marco" in the game Marco Polo.  This leads to a confusing reaction from fans, where some say, "Polo" some just repeat "Darko" and most say nothing.
• When Nikola Pekovic makes a basket they play the theme music from "The Godfather" and show a graphic of him looking a little like Marlon Brando on a movie poster.

Why I'm renewing my tickets for next season
It snowed a lot this winter in Minneapolis, but spring and summer in a city with so many trees, lakes, and trails makes it all worth it.  I have always lived in places that have real seasons, so I've convinced myself that it builds character.  I find myself feeling bad for people who live in Los Angeles, who think life is only 70 degrees and sunny with a good chance of championship basketball teams.  Negative 10 degrees and 20 wins builds character, and I want to be there when spring comes.  Of course I convinced myself that spring came during a nice thaw last week only to have several more inches of snow dumped on us today, so I am fully prepared for another tough winter with the Wolves next year.

Ramona and Beezus, and Kendrick Perkins

There have been some big stories in the NBA this year.  Lebron and Bosh join Wade in Miami.  Carmelo forces his way to New York.  Utah trades Deron Williams to New Jersey to avoid having him force his way out next year.  And to hear most people talk about it, the NBA is doomed because of this.  We can't put up with a league where stars pick where they get to play.  It's all too selfish, too contrived, and leaves middle America feeling like a basketball farm system.  Something needs to change.  Or so they say.

Well, to me, the biggest story of the season is that Kendrick Perkins was traded from my beloved Boston Celtics to the Oklahoma City Thunder and cried about it.  I know that's a little like saying "Ramona and Beezus" was a more powerful movie than "The King's Speech"...which...well actually...funny you should mention it...

I watched these two movies about a week apart from one another.  I saw "The King's Speech" first.  I was moved, not quite to tears, but I was moved.  I thought it was one of the finest movies I had ever seen.  So you can imagine my confusion when I found myself sobbing by the end of "Ramona and Beezus" a week later.  It was not the finest movie I had ever seen, but it was the first that ever made me cry.

Just a couple of days before watching "The King's Speech", a fellow pastor's kid and I (we are now both pastors) were sitting at a table with our dads.  We were talking about how difficult it was for us to move at age twelve.  His story involved sincerely invoking the words, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me."  Mine involved lying in bed as my dad shared the news with my older brother, thinking that I was asleep.  I was not ready to leave Connecticut for Nebraska.  I cried all night.

These feelings were fresh in my mind, when I sat down to watch "Ramona and Beezus" with Kathy one week later.  So when Ramona was struggling with the idea of moving from the only house she ever knew; I was right there with her.  And I cried like a baby.  My eyes didn't just get a little moist like they do when they "move that bus" on Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  I bawled.

Moving is hard.

Kendrick Perkins cried because he left the only basketball city he had known.  A place where he was a key player on a championship team.  A place where he had become best friends with Rajon Rondo.  A place where he felt like he belonged.  And without his consent, he was sent away.  Kendrick Perkins, he of the prominent shoulders, needed a shoulder to cry on.

Kendrick's story is the biggest of the season, because it gives us perspective.  It reminds us that:

1.  Most players don't actually make their own decisions about where they'll play.  Not even very good players like Perkins.  Most players' fate rely on the decisions of billionaires and executives.  So maybe we should be slower to judge the ones who are good enough to make their own decisions, even if we disagree.  The NBA essentially has a system in which a team has 7 year's to build a competitive team around a young player.  The financial incentive to stay means that most star players spend at least their first 5-7 years in one place.  We expect too much if we think they should have any obligation to stay longer than that.  And with talents like Lebron, or Carmelo, or Deron, if you can't put championship pieces around them in seven years, it's actually better for them, and for the league to give them all a fresh start.

2.  One of the teams that has the best chance to win over the next 10 years is in a tiny market in middle America.  The OKC team to which Perkins was traded, is young, talented, and seems committed to stick together.  So maybe basketball in small markets is not dead.  And maybe not all star players (see: Kevin Durant) are wired the same way, which leads me my final point...

3.  Basketball players are human beings.  Muscles, money, and expectations do not make athletes any less or any more human.  When we put athletes on pedestals we give them superhuman qualities.  When we reduce them to trading cards, we strip them of that humanity all together.  We forget that they are human.  We forget that they have emotions, weaknesses, and goals separate from our own. 

I loved "The King's Speech" because it emphasizes what we all have in common as humans.  We all have weaknesses, and we all have a purpose.  We may have different roles, but no one role is any more or less important than any other.  A king may need a speech therapist to look him in the eye, call him by his nickname, and have the gall to see him as an equal.  And because of this speech therapist, the king could perform his kingly duty when the world needed it most.  In order for this spectacular moment to happen, they had to reach some common ground.

Kendrick and I have common ground.  We both moved.  We both cried.  If I met him, I might not be able to look him in the eye (he's really tall), but I would hope we could sit down and watch "Ramona and Beezus" and talk about how hard it is to move.  But most of all, I hope that he'll someday be able to say, like I do now, that moving was one of the best things that ever happened to him.

Blogger's Block

A little less than a year ago, I began this little sports blog.  I did it because I love sports.  I did it because I love writing.  I did it because I loved the interaction with those who chose to read.  I committed in my head to post as close to weekly as possible.  But for the last 4 months, "The B League" has been dormant, and there is only one source of blame:  the 2011 Minnesota Vikings.

The 2010 Vikings inspired my first blog, as I tried to figure out if I was morphing from a Bills fan to a Vikings fan.  The 2011 Vikings made it abundantly clear that I would sooner morph into a Power Ranger.  The 2011 Vikings wasted so much ink and cyberspace for things so distant from the football field, that it became comical.  It was as though someone early on knew that they would stink, so they scripted each week to make sure they could still maintain fan interest.  Brett Favre's personal life, Randy Moss comes, Randy Moss goes, Favre's injuries, Favre's streak, Favre's Wranglers.  And then the roof collapsed.  We couldn't look away.  Lloyd Christmas sums up the 2011 Vikings season best,

All of this made it impossible for me to blog about them.  Everyone had written it already.  It had far too little to do with sports.  The 2011 Vikings were unwatchable, but I couldn't stop watching them.  And after each game, I had nothing to say.

And all of this is why I find myself strangely drawn to this year's Super Bowl matchup.  As the clock wound down in the AFC Championship game, I rolled my eyes and thought, "Great, a whole week about hearing the word 'organization'". 
"What a great job by the Packers' organization." 
"You have to credit the whole Steelers' organization."

 I rolled my eyes because I usually find this kind of talk nauseating.  It usually seems like an attempt to mystify sports; as though championships had less to do with players' performance than a team's mystique; as though Vince Lombardi has anything to do with the 2011 Packers, or Chuck Noll has anything to do with the 2011 Steelers.  But I can't roll my eyes anymore, because in the 2011 Vikings I witnessed the opposite of an organization.  What a great job by the Vikings' disorganization.  You have to credit the whole Vikings' disorganization.  They could use a little mystique right now.

I have every reason to despise next week's Super Bowl matchup.  Both teams fit many prerequisites of teams I would normally root against. 

1.  A history of championships.  When my team is eliminated from contention, I usually find myself rooting for a team to break out of their championship drought, like last year's Saints.  The Packers and Steelers have both won multiple Super Bowls.

2.  A rivalry with a team I like.  I am a Bills fan, but I have spent the past 10.5 years in Minneapolis and Chicago.  Though I can't decided who I prefer between the Vikings and Bears, I have been well-conditioned to dislike the Packers.


3.  Unlikable players.  It is really hard to root for Ben Roethlisberger.  Enough said.

But this is where the organization becomes these teams saving grace.  Let's look at that list again.

1.  A history of championships.  It's hard to begrudge a team for winning consistently.  When I think  about it, I prefer champions with some history, longevity and continuity.  I like to see new teams win now and then, but then I want to see them prove they are not a flash in the pan.  The Packers and Steelers are consistently contenders, not just year after year, but generation after generation.


2.  A rivalry with a team a like.   Sometimes you need reminders of what a real football team looks like.  A team with a quarterback who's earns his spot through his play not his name.  A team that doesn't use injuries as excuses.  A team that plays outdoors despite being further north than Minnesota.  The Packers, frankly, are everything the Vikings should hope to be.

3.  Unlikable players.  They're on every team, but some organizations, like the Steelers, rise above it.  They apologize, they are swift with punishment, and the team manages to remain the headline.  Others deny and deflect, and enable a formerly likable player to continue to pretend that he is still likable.

A few other reasons why I am strangely drawn to next week's game.
1.  Both teams pass the name test. http://bleaguehak.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-in-name.html
2.  Both teams pass the uniform test.  This is a blog that is still to come, but both teams have awesome uniforms.
3.  Unbelievable fan bases.  Maybe irritatingly so, but give credit where credit is due.
4.  Evenly matched game.  The teams are not flawless, but they both have great coaching, great defenses and great quarterbacks.
5.  Either my dear nephew (Packers) or one of my dear friends (Steelers) will be delighted with the outcome.  


Who will I be cheering for?
The Packers.  Simply for the fact that it's been longer since they've won the game.  I don't feel that strongly about it.

Who do I think will win?
The Steelers.  Because I believe they are not only the greatest organization in football, but also in sports.  And in spite of my nausea and rolling eyes, I'm starting to think that it really matters.

On The Island of Misfit Toys

I am, for the most part, an optimist.  In fact, in high school, I won the superlative of "Most Optimistic."  Somehow this accomplishment was not published in the yearbook, but I managed to stay upbeat about it.

86 Tickets to the Island of Misfit Toys.

I bring this up because I received my season tickets for the Minnesota Timberwolves this week.  The Timberwolves could possibly be the worst team in the league this year.  Since their inception in 1989 they have won two playoff series, and have suffered from bad luck, bad drafting, and mismanagement.  The closest they have come to a title is giving the Celtics Kevin Garnett to win theirs in 2008.  At the beginning of last season, the franchise took a turn with new GM David Kahn.  He quickly became the laughingstock of the league by drafting two point guards with consecutive picks in last years draft, which may have caused the more talented of the two to stay in Spain for an additional two years.  This summer has not been much better, with a bevy of questionable moves that leaves their roster resembling the Island of Misfit toys from the classic Christmas film, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

And that, I am afraid, is the most optimistic thing I can say about the Timberwolves this season: they are like the Island of Misfit toys.  Their players are mostly guys who no one else really wanted, and the talent that they do have seems to be concentrated at the forward positions meaning that their five most talented players will not be able to play on the floor at once.  Let's meet the cast of characters:


Hermey the Elf, Kevin Love, PF
Hermey is immensely talented, but no one takes him seriously because he wants to be a dentist, not an elf.
Love is immensely talented, but in spite of his fantastic numbers, the Wolves have not seemed to take him seriously having started only 59 games in his first two seasons.

Charlie-in-the-Box, Johnny Flynn, PG
My favorite character in the movie.  Perpetually compared to the more popular, "Jack-in-the-Box".  "Nobody wants a Charlie-in-the-Box".

Perpetually compared to Ricky Rubio, the PG who might have been here already, had Flynn not been drafted, and Stephen Curry, the PG/SG, that seems to be a better player and a better fit when(if) Rubio gets here.

The Bumble, Darko Milicic, C
The abominable snowman spends most of the movie as an enemy of Rudolph and Hermey.  At the end of the movie, his character is redeemed as he put the star on top of the Christmas tree.

Darko was the number 2 draft pick in 2003, selected after Lebron James, but before Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade.  Seven years later, he seemed to be on his way out of the league when Kahn was the only one to give him a chance at redemption.

A Dolly for Sue, Michael Beasley, PF
There actually seems to be nothing wrong with the doll, it's just that no one wants her.

There is nothing wrong with Beasley.  At 21-years-old, this former number 2 pick, it seems far too early to write him off.  But nobody seemed to want him, as it only took a second round pick to acquire him.  He became the odd man out in Miami as Wade, Lebron, and Bosh joined forces.  (I once argued that the Bulls should have taken Beasley ahead of Rose, I was wrong, but because of this argument I feel attached to him and really hope he succeeds in Minnesota).

Yukon Cornelius, Ricky Rubio, PG
While wandering in far away lands, Rudolph and Hermey find Yukon Cornelius searching for silver and gold.  Though a bit selfish and greedy, he ends up helping them on their journey.

Rubio plays in a far away land, seemingly waiting for a better opportunity in the NBA.  If the Wolves convince him to play for them, he could help them a lot.

King Moonracer, David Kahn, GM

The lion who rules the island and searches for unwanted toys.

Kahn rules the Wolves, and so far seems to search for unwanted players.

Sam the Snowman, Kurt Rambis, Coach

The coolest character in the movie, the non-misfit who narrates the action and keep things together with his songs.

The heir-apparent to the great Phil Jackson, he seems to emulate Phil's cool demeanor.  It will be up to him to keep things together with his triangle offense.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Wesley Johnson, SF

All of the other reindeer underestimated Rudolph because of his red nose.  He ended up saving Christmas by guiding Santa's sleigh.

Possibly underestimated for not being John Wall, Evan Turner, or Demarcus Cousins (the rookies most fans would have preferred).  If the Wolves are even moderately successful this year it will probably be because Johnson is more than we expect.

And last but not least...

Clarice the Doe, Mark Hakanson, season-ticket holder

Clarice believed in Rudolph from the very start.  She saw the potential in Rudolph and loved him for it.

I choose to believe in the Timberwolves.  That they resemble the Island of Misfit Toys may be the the most optimistic thing I can say about them, but watch the movie.  That ragtag bunch of misfits saves Christmas, by reaching their potential that no one else can see. Now I'm not expecting a championship.  I'm not even expecting the playoffs.  But the Timberwolves will be better than you think.  Their glass may look all the way empty, but I see it as at least half empty.  Look at all those characters and all that they have to prove.  What is more inspiring than watching a bunch of perceived misfits work hard at redemption?  And though it may not happen this season, maybe Kahn's got a little Santa Claus in him, and this sleigh is at least headed in the right direction.

Is this the real life...?

On Monday night I prepared some clams with a white wine saffron sauce served with a side of bread and fresh ricotta.  I had dinner with my wife.  I then packed up my laptop and a few pieces of paper fill with notes and color-coded highlights, headed to the coffee shop and proceeded to draft my fantasy football team for 2010 for the next three hours.

I give you a picture of the entire evening just to prove that I am (or try to be) something of a well-rounded person.  Why do I feel the need to do this?  I'm not sure.  I think it has to do with the fact that if one of your favorite hobbies happens to have the word "fantasy" in it, people automatically assume you don't have a real life.  Despite its move to the mainstream, participation in fantasy football still maintains a hint of "nerd." 

Person 1:  What are you doing tonight?
Person 2:  Spending three hours selecting professional athletes to play for my fake team. 
Person 1:  Oh...........cool..............I guess.

I played fantasy sports before it was cool (I'm still not sure if it's cool).  When I was eight, my big brother's best friend Adam brought a printed list of baseball players to our house (the printer paper that was connected and had the edges with all the holes).  We got out Monopoly money and bid for players.  I seem to remember Juan Gonzalez being the big prize.  Without the internet, Adam was in charge of keeping score each day (I think this lasted about two days).  But whether I want to admit it or not, fantasy sports have been a major part of my life. For the past nine years, I have played fantasy football.  For the past five (at least), I have not only played, but have been commissioner of my league.  Suffice it to say that I have spent a lot of time thinking about my fake team and other people fake teams.

Question:  Is it worth it?
Answer:  Absolutely.

And here's why:

1.  Companionship: My current league consists of myself, my twin brother, two of my brother-in-laws, one guy I've known since Jr. High, one guy I've known since high school, and five guys I've known since college.  Five of those guys were groomsmen in my wedding. Fantasy football is, above all else, a way to stay in touch with these friends and family.  A call to remind someone about the draft is also a chance to say "How's it going?"  An online league message board becomes a place where people from Chicago, Minneapolis, Central California, DC, and Seattle can communicate with each other on a week-to-week basis.

2.  Competition:  I believe competition is over emphasized in our society.  I believe in cooperation more than I believe in competition.  But we need competition in our lives.  We never grow out of this.  (see: Bingo, Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, and shuffleboard).  I still love playing basketball, but I've mellowed some.  I don't even hustle back on defense anymore (ok, I never hustled back on defense). Fantasy football brings out the fire in me.

3.  The Draft:  Fantasy football is really all about the draft.  Doing well during the year is the icing on the cake.  Drafting remotely has been tough on me the past couple of years, because it's really just an excuse to have a party. The draft is about eating good (bad) food.  Buffalo Wings, Dan's famous chili, Chicago dogs, etc.  It's about making people feel intimidated by the amount of research you did (the more paper you show up with, the better).  But even online drafts are fun.  They become an endless stream of inside jokes. 

4.  The Season:  Now I don't need a reason to watch more football during the year.  And the older I get, the less football I watch.  My schedule usually makes me have to watch when I have time and not make time to watch specific games.  Since I have less choice over which games I will watch, I am all for something that makes any game more enjoyable.  I may have a rooting interest in an Oakland-Jacksonville game that I would not otherwise.  It adds to the entertainment value of each game.  It's like watching your kid star in a musical that you're not crazy about.  You may not love "Westside Story", but if your kid was in it, watching it would be a delight.  I may not love the Texans, but my best player is Andre Johnson, so watching them will be a delight this year.

5.  Continuity:  One of the things I like best is the way each year builds on the last.  One guy becomes the guy you really want to beat because he seems to do so well.  One guy becomes the guy who traded Peyton Manning for Julius Jones.  One guy becomes the running back baron.  One guy becomes the guy who always owns Hines Ward.  Our league tends to add a rule or two each year to make the experience better and better.  I would not be shocked if we sat down in the common room of our retirement home in 40 years for our 50th draft.  And though he is likely to retire in the next couple of years, someone will make the joke, "Dan's pick, I bet he picks Hines Ward."  I may not be building forts with my friends anymore, but I am building a fantasy league, and we are building memories in spite of our distance.

6.  The Fantasy:  Ok, fine, I admit it, I wish I could run an NFL team.  I think I could do it better than the GMs.  Putting together a team of professional athletes each week makes me feel like a part of the action.  My achievements in football might have peaked in fifth grade when I was the go-to choice for quarterback at recess (I could throw the heck out of the pink and black turbo footballs), but I can remain connected to the game for the rest of my life. 

If number five makes me a nerd, then I am a nerd.  But at least I'm a nerd who can cook clams with a white wine saffron sauce.



P.S.
If you haven't drafted yet, here's a guy a like at each position that I think will outperform there draft spot:
QB: Kevin Kolb
RB: Matt Forte
WR:  Pierre Garcon
TE: Jason Witten
Good luck

No Easy Lay-Ups

I hope he doesn't mind me saying this, but I am a better basketball player than my older brother.  He would beat me in a cross country race, trivial pursuit, scaling a climbing wall, and many other things, but his "beating me in basketball" ship sailed around the time I was twelve and he was fourteen. 

That said, this was not an easy passing of the torch.  As I became more skilled, he came tougher and more physical.  He was not willing to simply declare me the better basketball player, I had to earn it, and it would come with some bumps and bruises.  In fact, as recently as college, he got kicked out of an intramural basketball game for pushing me into the bleachers from behind as I went in for an easy lay-up.  A big brother's job is to make sure there are no easy lay-ups.  His toughness, ultimately, is what made me the better player.  Had he had an older brother, there is a good chance he would be the better player today.

Why do I retell this story?  Because this is what gives me hope that Lebron James' decision might actually be great for basketball.  James has been lambasted for a number of reasons: selfishness, disloyalty, killing basketball in a small market, and most importantly, altering the competitive balance of the league.  Many people have thought that they don't want to follow a league where the players predetermine who will win.  But history shows us that only Bill Russell and Michael Jordan were guaranteed champions in their prime.  Miami will have to earn it.

The new Miami Heat enter an NBA landscape in which the two best teams (the Lakers and Celtics), are old, tough, smart, and (especially in the case of the Celtics) a little mean.  It is their job to make sure there are no easy lay-ups.  I fully expect the Heat to cruise through the regular season with eye-popping statistics and unbelievable highlights.  But come playoff time, I think we may have some of the most fascinating playoffs series we have seen in awhile.  And maybe Miami will go on to win championship after championship, but it won't happen without a few bodies flying into the bleachers.  Tell me you're not interested in watching that.

And maybe, just maybe, with all the pressure on Miami to win now, another team gets better and better (Chicago, Oklahoma City?).  You see, I might be able to beat my older brother, but I am not the best basketball player in my family.  That honor goes to my twin brother.

The way I see it, there are three possible results:
1.  The old guard holds their ground for a year or two.
2.  The old guard challenges the Heat to become a basketball force unlike anything we've seen before.
3.  Somebody we are not even talking about flies under the radar and becomes the team to beat.

Lebron's decision may affect the whole NBA landscape, but now the whole NBA landscape will fight back.  No easy lay-ups.

What's in a Name?

I want to take a little time to talk about team names in sports.  This post has been bubbling up in me for awhile now.  I have not taken it on yet, because I fear it is too big for me to handle.  As I thought about names and tried to think of a formula for what made the best team names in sports.  There is no such formula, but here are some ground rules.

Rule #1: Age and success can make a bad name into a good name.

 One problem is some of the best names in sports have mainly to do with their age and the success of the team.  We get all mushy gushy about team names like the Celtics, Lakers, and Knicks.  These are classic names, of big market teams, with a history of success (less so for the Knicks).  I, for one, think they are three of the finest names in sports, but if you used their methods of naming for an expansion team today, you would be laughed at. The Celtics are named after an ethnic group from Ireland, only they used the wrong pronunciation.  The Lakers, of course, moved from Minneapolis, but are still named after a geographical feature that the Southern California is not know for.  And the Knicks are named after pants (Knickerbockers).  Yet due to some grandfather clause, they are fantastic names.  Somehow I don’t think the Pittsburgh Germans (pronounce the ‘g’ as you would in the word “go”), the Iowa Mountaineers, or the Nashville Capri Pants would fly today.

Rule #2:  It doesn’t hurt to have a fierce team name, but it’s not everything.

Another thing I thought about in determining the perfect name is the “King of the Hill” Factor, or the “My Mascot Could Beat Up Your Mascot” Factor.  If you just put the team names into a fight, who would win?  This is not a bad way to name a team.  In general, a fierce mascot is a pretty good way to go.  But there are flaws inherent in this system.  First, it makes for a lot of team names that seem inspired by little boys’ Halloween costumes: Cowboys, Pirates, Raptors, Lions, etc.  Secondly, it can create some rock-paper-scissors situations where there is no clear winner.  Take the NFC North.  Lion beats Viking (Vikings are tough, but not that tough), Viking beats Packer (tougher of two species of human), Packer beats Bear (mmm…bear burgers), and Bear beats Lion (they’re just bigger).  Thirdly, it can create some situations similar to this one from many peoples’ childhood imaginary games:

Kid 1:  I shot you.

Kid 2:  I have a forcefield around me that blocks bullets.

Kid 1:  I have a special gun that shoots through forcefields.

Kid 2:  I quit.

This is why don’t like the Washington Wizards or the Orlando Magic, they lend themselves to this kind thing (“I just cast a spell that makes me immune to Grizzly attacks”).  Finally, there are situations, such as the latest Super Bowl between the Colts and Saints they just can’t be figures out.  I mean who event wants to see a holy person fight with a baby horse?

Rule #3:  Let’s stay away from specific people groups.

When I was in high school, the nearby Millard South Indians changed their names to the Patriots.  Almost 10 years later, the team that plays America’s most popular sport, in our nation’s capital, is still called the Washington Redskins.  At worst, teams named after specific people groups are highly offensive, at best they are alienating (who, outside of Texas, wants to wear Houston Texans gear?).

Rule #4:  Team names should not best be described as “cute” or “pretty”

Like I said, ferocity isn’t everything, but it means something.  The Cubs, Colts, Cardinals, Bluejays, and Orioles are old enough that I am not advocating a name change, but their names hardly strike fear in opponents. (This also goes for a high school in my hometown of Omaha known as the Benson Bunnies).

Rule #5:  I’d like to buy an ‘S’

I’m looking at you Magic, Heat, Lightning, Thunder, Wild, and WNBA.

Rule #6:  Originality matters.

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with Bears, Eagles, Tigers, Panthers, Vikings, Cowboys, Wildcats, and Bulldogs, but we all played these teams in high school, why should we have to root for them in the pros?  (My elementary, middle school, and high school mascots were, respectively, the Wilcats, the Panthers, and the Eagles). 

I respect a team the goes with a generic idea, but puts a unique twist on it.  San Antonio could easily be the Cowboys, but went with the Spurs.  Cincinnati could have stuck with Tigers, but went with Bengals. 

Rule # 7: Geography matters.

Some of my favorite team names also tell me something about their city or state, and if you go this route, you probably have originality covered.  You also have something that your fan base already takes pride in. The Pittsburgh Steelers, the Hartford Whalers (RIP), the Green Bay Packers, the Portland Trailblazers, the Minnesota Twins, the Colorado Rockies, the Seattle Mariners, the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Detroit Pistons, the Philadelphia 76ers. Those are among my favorite names in all of sports.

But in the immortal words of the mortal Juliet, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

I would root for the Boston Celtics even if they were called the Germans (hard ‘g’), or the Celtic, or Butterflies.  I would root for the Boston Red Sox even if they were called the Red Hats, or the Red Balloons, or the Red Herrings.  I would root for the Buffalo Bills if they were called the Williams, or the Teds, or the Jills.  But if any of those teams were called the Mighty Ducks?  I have my limits.

Sports Taught me How to Sew

Sometimes Kathy asks me how I can fit so much sports knowledge into my mind.  The thing that she doesn't understand is that, for me, it takes no effort at all.  Statistics, team names, jersey numbers, past champions, batting orders of Double A baseball teams, are flies and my mind is fly paper.  I, like many Americans, watch soccer for a month once every four years.  This, however, does not keep me from being fairly conversant when it comes to the World Cup.  I have a decent knowledge of the rules, who's good, who's bad, how the game should be played etc.  This quality (if you can call it that) is mostly innate.

Part of what is implied in Kathy's question, is what I would be capable of if 80% of my brain was not devoted to sports.  Could I be be a more well-rounded person?  I think the answer is yes and no.  Yes, because this innate skill probably leads me to watch, read about, and ponder sports even more when I could be studying more useful, meaningful things.  But the answer is also no because this knowledge exists in the same part of my brain as phone numbers, song lyrics, and old locker combinations.  Let's just say that the world is probably not missing any cures to rare diseases because I can name the jersey number of most NBA basketball players from 1990-2010.  In fact, I might even argue that there are things about following sports so closely that make me a more well-rounded person.  (I may make this into a list at some point, but the following is just one example.)

For the past week, or so,  I have been enjoying the World Cup.  I love watching the World Cup: the cultures, the colors, the games, the passion.  This one is of particular importance to me as it is being held South Africa.  In 2003, I traveled to South Africa as a college student.  I fell in love with the country: its diversity of people and geography.  It was an experience that has had a profound influence on my life and faith.  I was exposed to despair and hope, injustice and reconciliation.  I became aware of similar injustices in my own country.  I became aware of a world that was not shaped only by my worldview and what was best for me.  I became aware of God in new and more significant ways.

This World Cup has made me reflect on some of those experiences.  It has also made extremely excited to root for South Africa, as a soccer team, but perhaps more importantly as a host nation.  As the build up to the Cup began, I grew tired of hearing about the crime and poor infrastructure.  Yes, South Africa has its struggles, but these do not define the nation, and what nation does not have its struggles?  The suggestion was that this was not a suitable nation to host such a monumental event.  It was as though South Africa (and possibly Africa as a whole) was not ready to be taken seriously on an international level.  For this reason, I have rooted hard for South Africa as host.  And this led me to my dresser drawer.

When I was in South Africa, I bought a patch of their flag.  For seven years, that patch sat in a drawer, partly because I didn't know what to put it on, but primarily because I don't know how to sew, and I haven't been ambitious enough to learn.  Kathy is an accomplished sewer (having spent years in 4-H, she epitomizes the well-rounded human being, who cannot only sew her own clothes, but also show pigs), but Kathy was not home.  So I went to the drawer, pulled out the patch and a seed corn hat and taught myself how to sew.  And that is (among other things) how sports has made me a more well-rounded person.  The World Cup taught me how to sew.

Here is the finished product:

Big 8? 12? 10? Who's Counting?

I moved to Nebraska in 1994.  The Cornhuskers football team proceeded to win the next two National Championships as a member of the Big Eight Conference.  Two years later they joined the Big Twelve Conference.  And now 14 years later they are becoming the twelfth team in the Big Ten Conference.  I think I just set a record for most even numbers in a paragraph.  Here is my two cents on the Huskers' big move.

My thoughts begin, strangely enough, with the Stanley Cup.  The Chicago Blackhawks hoisted the trophy for the first time in 49 years this week.  As I watched each player hold the cup, kiss the cup, take pictures with their kids and the cup, I was struck by their singular sense of purpose.  Every player there had dreamed about this moment.  This silver cup represented everything they had ever worked for.  College football lacks this singular sense of purpose, it always has, and it always will.

The Husker moved to the Big Ten for reasons of money, athletics, and academics, probably in that order.  However the three are strangely interwoven.  What is the purpose of a college football team?  To support the university financially?  To create school spirit?  To prepare the majority of athletes who will "go pro in something other than sports" for their careers? To win a national championship?  To win the BCS?  To win the coaches poll?  To beat the Buckeyes?  To uphold academic standards?  To prepare their exceptional student-athletes for professional sports?  To secure television contracts?  To give the marching band a venue?  To give me something to do on Saturday afternoons?  To give sports writers endless material?  Yes, the correct answer is all of the above.

This is why I resist any moralizing when it comes to discussing college sports.  Money, athletics, and academics sometimes work symbiotically, but for the most part are at odds.  I am not suggesting that schools should operate outside the rules, but I am not surprised that they do given the multiple purposes of Division I college athletics.  So without getting into the nitty gritty things that I know little about, I love this move for the Cornhuskers for the following reasons.

1.  It seems like a good fit.  The Huskers fit in geograpically (somewhere in middle America).  They fit in academically (a team that takes pride in their academic all-Americans).  They fit in stylistically (smash mouth, run the football, play good defense).

2.  They need a change of scenery.  Texas and Oklahoma quickly made the old option Huskers obsolete.  Then Bill Callahan systematically destroyed the Huskers.  Bo Pellini has done a fantastic job of restoring the program, but in general the Big Twelve has not been full of great memories for the Huskers.  As Tom Osborne guides this move they will keep the tradition, but continue their fresh start.

3.  The Big Ten will be home to four of the finest uniforms in all of sports.  Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, and Nebraska.  Sometimes less is more.  A yearly Penn State vs. Nebraska matchup may be the most aesthetically pleasing game in sports.

4.  Selfishly, I will see them a lot more.  I have lived in Big Ten country for 10 years now.  It has been hard to be a Husker fan when I only see them once a year.  The Gophers opened a brand new stadium last year.  Though I was interested as a sports fan, I didn't make it to a game.  I can almost guarantee I'll be there the first time the Huskers come to town.  Of the teams I am loyal to, my love for the Huskers, and thus college football, has waned the most.  I am excited to embrace college football again.

5.  I have already received an outpouring of welcome and smack talk from friends who root for Big Ten teams.  Having lived in Big Ten country for 10 years, the majority of my friends root for these teams.  I love that they are already rooting against the Huskers.  I love the idea of watching games with them.  They will make me raise my game as a fan.

Now, I am not informed enough to know how the move will affect all of college football, but from some of the rumors I hear, this is what I hope does or doesn't happen.

1.  I hope these super conferences don't form.  It sound like these super conferences would be a step toward a playoff system which I support, but I think rivalries are too important to have conferences made up of teams that won't play each other all that often.

2.  I hope the Big 12 doesn't disappear.  Texas and Oklahoma seem like strong enough schools to anchor a conference.  I would love to see teams like TCU or Utah join.  It would be great if the shuffle allowed more teams to join power conferences.

3.  I don't care about Notre Dame.  Take 'em.  Leave 'em.  They haven't been relevant since Rocket Ismail.


Sixteen years ago, I went to my first Husker game at Memorial Stadium.  I remember the sea of red.  I remember getting goosebumps as the team ran out of the tunnel.  I joined a group of fans that I consider to be the best in the country.  For the last several years my passion for the Huskers has waned.  Honestly, this may have been the only way to get me back.  Look for me in Husker red on game days next year.  It's been too long.

The Strongly Dislike List

Today's follow up blog to last week's love list couldn't come at a better time.  On Thursday night, my beloved Celtics take on one of my least favorite teams in all of sports, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the first game of the NBA Finals.  There are many reasons that I don't like the Lakers and most of them don't have to do with their rivalry from the mid-80s (I was pretty young then, and enjoyed both Magic and Larry, I hadn't sorted out my loyalties yet).

I am against hatred in all forms, but I think part of what makes sports fun is getting a chance to root against other teams.  I never wish ill on particular players, I don't wish injuries on players, but because I want my team to win, I am free to root against the other team.  And perhaps the most fun thing, is you don't even need a good reason to dislike a team.  In sports you have one team, and everyone else is the enemy in one way or another.  So while I could come up with only ten legitimate reasons for loving a team, I doubt that I could ever exhaust the list of reasons to dislike a team, but I'll take a crack at it.

1.  Historical rivalry.  This is pretty cut and dry.  If you like Duke you must dislike North Carolina.  If you like Ohio State you must dislike Michigan.  If you like the Red Sox you must dislike the Yankees.  If you like North Park you must dislike Wheaton. 

2.  Divisonal rivalry.  Because you play these teams multiple times a year these games are more important than other, thus increasing the level of dislike.  Also you get sick of their colors, and traditions, and fans, because you see them so much.

3.  They beat your team in a meaningful game.   The Cowboys, Redskins, and Giants are not traditional rivals of the Bills, but they are my least favorite football teams because of what they did to the Bill in the Super Bowl when I was the tender age of 8...and then 9....and then 10....and then 11. 

4.  Money.  Nobody outside of New York likes the Yankees because they seem to circumvent the need strategy and management by outspending everyone.  It's like shooting fish in a barrel, and no one likes a guy who goes around shooting fish in a barrel.

5.  Overexposure.  I am tempted to use the Yankees in every example here, but lets go with the Lakers.  The Lakers play in LA, have historically been great, have celebrity fans, have a celebrity coach, and the league's biggest star.  We hear about them constantly.  If I go to a sports store anywhere in the country they will have Lakers gear.  They are always a possible destination for the next big free agent.  (Yes, I realized that the Red Sox also fall under this category, and I don't blame you for hating them).

6.  Style.  Some teams are so boring, yet so successful, that we feel they are doing the sport a disservice by being successful.   Patrick Ewing's Knicks teams are the most popular example.  Rex Grossman's Bears qualify as well.

7.   Players.  I am careful about judging a player's personal life that I know little about (though it can be difficult to like teams whose players are in trouble all the time).  But I often dislike teams because their players' demeanor on the court or field.  Sometimes they seem selfish.  Sometimes they seem aloof.  Sometimes they whine too much.  Sometimes they yell at their teammates.  Sometimes they wear number 24 on the Lakers.  Sometimes they yell at fielders trying to catch fly balls.  Sometimes they slap balls out of fielder's gloves.  Sometimes they step on pitcher's mounds.  Sometimes they wear number 13 on the Yankees.  Sometimes they string everybody along as they contemplate retirement.  Sometimes they seem too hungry for the spotlight.  Sometimes they wear number 4 on the Vikings (I like the Vikings, but I can see why someone might not because of this fella.)

8.  Uniforms.  Again, you don't need a real reason to dislike a team.  Sorry Raptors, you just don't look good.  Same goes for you Marlins. 

9.  Region.  Sometimes we just lump teams together.  My friend Paul mentioned this in a comment on the previous post.  As a Steelers fan, he can't stand the Cleveland Browns.  He kind of likes the Cleveland Cavaliers, but doesn't quite feel right doing it.  The problem here is that divisional rivalries often pit cities in close proximity against one another, but there is an inherent affinity for one's own region of the country.  A Pittsburgh guy like Paul would rather see another rust-belt city win a title, than those hippy, beach bums in California.  And likewise those Californians, would probably rather see the Mariners win a World Series then those media darling, elitist Boston Red Sox.  This is especially prevalent in college sports, where people would rather see someone from their conference win a National Championship than someone from some other conference.  This feels like another blog for another time, and a little like rock, paper, scissors.

10.  Name.  Orlando Magic...ugh.

11.  They used to be our team.  Baltimore have good reason to dislike the Colts.  Cleveland has good reasons to dislike the Ravens.  Minnesota has good reasons to dislike the Lakers.  And Buffalo should be grateful that LA took the Clippers off their hands.  (Also, I can't wait to root against the Los Angeles Bills in a couple of season.)

12.  They stole our player.  It's ok for T'Wolves fans to dislike the Celtics, though I know some who continue to wish KG well and blame their own managment, which leads us to....

13.   I think I hate my own team.  This is perhaps the strongest kind of sports hatred and is especially prevalent among Cubs fans.

Alright, I should probably stop.  Please feel free to add to this list.  There is no wrong answer.

The Love List

A few things have happened in the last few weeks have inspired this blog:
1.  I got season tickets for the first time in my life to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
2.  The Chicago Blackhawks made the playoffs.
3.  My dad suggested I blog about my mom, who claims to be a Cubs fan, yet can't name a current player on the team.

These three things (as well as the identity crises I have been having as a sports fan recently), have made me ask the question what does it mean to be a fan.  The Timberwolves are not my favorite team, but I already feel an attachment to next year's team that I've never felt before.  I'll have a more personal interaction with that team than any before.  A number of my friends are Blackhawks fan, but in a sense they are bandwagon Blackhawk fans, having only begun caring about the 'Hawks since they got good again. And my mom, who was born and raised in Chicago, still claims to be a Cubs fan after leaving the city years ago, and hardly following them at all.  My question: is there validity to these types of loyalty? 

My answer: yes, when it comes to sports I have become something of a pluralist purist.  In theory, I believe in rooting for one team, from birth until death, in sickness and health, as long as you both shall live.  But in practice, I realize that sports are enjoyed differently by everyone, and by some people, differently at different times.  And I have come to appreciate most forms of following a sports team.  Being a fan is not a competition, you can't be a better fan than someone else, the sports are the competition and we are free to follow as we so choose.  We all love sports, and teams for different reasons. So without further ado, here is the sports love list:

1.  Diehard love: This is the 'til death do us part kind of loyalty.  It also involves knowing minute details about your team.  It involves following a team from childhood.  It involves peaks and valleys, or sometimes peaks (Yankees fans) or valleys (Pirates fans).  It usually involves multiple articles of team clothing.  It often involves tears, or near tears over a particular team.  It is how I felt about the Red Sox, Celtics, Bills, and UConn basketball for the first 25 years of my life.

2.  Ride the wave love:  Detractors would call this bandwagon love, but that title carries a lot of baggage.  What's wrong with people getting caught up in something exciting?  As long as they're not claiming to be lifelong fans, who are they harming?  I am not a diehard soccer fan, but I happened to be in Kenya during the 2006 World Cup.  We stayed in a remote part of Kenya, at the only home for miles that had a television.  Each night, several people came over to catch the games.  I got caught up in soccer fever.  I watched as much World Cup as I could.  I picked an English Premiership team to follow (Liverpool).  I even bought their jersey.  I rode the wave.  So to all you new Blackhawks fans out there, enjoy the ride. 

3.  Sentimental love:  My mom's loyalty the Cubs is also a valid expression of sports love.  It is not rooted so much in sport, as it is in time, place, and memories.  My mom simply loves Chicago.  And she has fond memories of her childhood.  The Cubs were a part of this.  Just like she'll always love visiting Chicago, Frango mints, Chicago style hot dogs, she'll always love the Cubs.  For her it doesn't matter that she doesn't know anyone on the team.  And if the Cubs do win the World Series in her lifetime, she might not feel the same way a diehard would, but her joy will be real.  She'll be happy for different reasons, but she'll still have her reasons. 

4.  Season ticket love:  I'll have to chronicle this one as I experience it this year, but the way I see it I will end up really loving or really hating this Timberwolves team.  I will have invested time and money in them, and I will expect to be entertained.  I have no expectations of a terrific year, but if they play hard, and show signs of improvement, I might just hitch my wagon to this team for a long time.

5.  Fantasy love: My friend Bryan insists that his favorite team is his fantasy team.  I used to say this makes him less of a fan, but why not?  He has no real geographical roots, he loves statistics, and he is pretty good at fantasy sports.  Fantasy sports also causes people to love certain players, on teams they may not otherwise care about.  My friend Dan seemed to get Hines Ward on his football team every year, and thus ended up rooting for him year after year. 

6.  Entertainment love:  Back before Danny Ainge made the deals to get Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, the Celtics were an atrocious team to watch.  It made me really appreciate what was going on with Steve Nash and the freewheeling Suns.  They brought an aesthetic to the game that I wished I could see more often.  Since then I have really wanted the Suns to do well, because if they win a championship, more teams will follow suit, making the game more entertaining.

7.  Local love:  I have already beaten this one to death.  But it is fun to root for the same team that you hear about on the radio, read about in the paper, and can buy tickets to go see on the weekend.

8.  Watching history love:  Sometimes someone is so great, that we can't help but root for them.  We like to say that Americans root for the underdog, but we also root for the transcendent superstar.  I rooted for Jordan and the Bulls, because rooting against them was like rooting against Shakespeare.  "Shakespeare stop being so good at writing."  I enjoyed witnessing history being made. 

9.  Connection love:  Sometimes we feel a more personal connection with a certain player.  My dad likes the Jazz a little bit because Kyle Korver played at Creighton when we lived in Omaha.  I continue to follow UConn guys in the NBA (although it's funny how this changes, I still really like Ray Allen and Ben Gordon, but didn't really stay attached to Rip Hamilton or Emeka Okafor).  I also really liked Ahman Green because he went to my high school.

10.  Patriotic love:  Perhaps a subcategory of ride the wave love, as most of us don't follow national teams or Olympians from day to day.  But you can bet I'll be rooting hard for the USA during the 2010 World Cup just as I did in these past Winter Olympics.

I'm probably missing a few.  Feel free to weigh in. 

Now I'm not saying that sports is a free for all.  There are lines that shouldn't be crossed.  You should generally stay away from your team's rivals.  You should be able to explain why you like a team beyond just that they are good.  Don't pretend to be something that you're not, but don't let anyone else tell you that you're not what you think you are.  And if you're not the kind of person who could ever attach the word "love" to sports, just root, root, root for the home team. 

I've Got a Golden Ticket!

I have never in my life been more excited for a sporting event than I am for tomorrow night's NBA Draft Lottery.  I know this sounds weird, because it's not even really a sporting event.  And had I not ruined a surprise, I would not have even known how important tomorrow night is.  

Here's how my excitement for tomorrow came to be:

I believe in joint checking accounts for married couples.  They promote unity, honesty, communication, and accountability.  They also make gift giving exceedingly difficult.  As in, “Kathy what is this charge for the Minnesota Timberwolves?”  Yes, that’s right, I ruined Kathy’s birthday surprise last week.  My birthday is July 17.  Kathy was disappointed.  The only thing that made this situation better is that, she got me the best gift ever: season tickets to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Kathy is a truly gifted gift-giver.  She always gets me just what I want, but usually something I am not expecting.  I have not stopped talking about this gift since I ruined it last week. 

 
There is one significant positive to knowing about these tickets early: it makes tomorrow’s draft lottery extremely exciting. I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago, when I was resigned to the fact that I would never be a season ticket holder.  The Wolves are practically giving away season tickets next year.  They will have one of the first five picks in the draft.  Whatever pick they end up with will correspond to the dollar value of the tickets that I now own.  If they get lucky and get the first pick, Kathy and I will pay $82 for season tickets ($1 per ticket, 2 tickets, times 41 home games).  The most we could pay would be $410 if they get the fifth pick.  This is still a ridiculously good deal, but certainly more than what Kathy and I budget for one another’s gifts.  Tomorrow night’s lottery is now one of the most important sporting events of my life, because I have a vested interest.  And it's not all monetary.  Tomorrow will determine whether or not the team I will spend next season with will be entertaining or not.  Here are some of the thoughts I've had in the last week.

 

1.  I can't believe I have season tickets.   I really thought this would never happen to me (for reasons expressed in my previous post).  Getting them as a gift allows me to enjoy them without worrying about my past reservations.  I can just enjoy them, or share them, or show up at halftime after confirmation (luckily the Target Center is on my way home from church.)

 

2.  I really hope the Wolves get the number 1 pick.  How cool would it be to have season tickets that cost $1 per game?  Also, Kathy would still have left over money in our budget to get me another gift.

 

3.  The Wolves might rather have the No. 2 pick.  That way they could pick Evan Turner, a wing player, which they need, and not feel guilty about passing on John Wall, the most talented player in the draft.

 

4.  This PG thing reminds of Lost.  Who is going to lead this team Flynn (Jack Shephard), Rubio (John Locke), or John Wall (Sawyer)?  Flynn and Rubio have to be Jack and Locke, they came in together, both have strong qualities in their favor.  I have my reasons for saying Rubio is Locke but I don't want to spoil anything.  Wall is Sawyer, because he emerged as something of a leader in spite of the presence of two leaders already.  He also brings something to the table that the other two can't, he's his own guy, and the most entertaining of the three.  I think Wall's got some of that.  A huge part of me wants them to get Wall and trade Rubio.

 

5.   I am all in on this.  In the last week I have checked out the Wolves 2010 schedule to count how many games I could have gone to this year.  I started reading Wolves blogs.  I contemplating buying more Wolves gear for my nights at the Target Center.  I felt like a kid on Christmas when I got some season ticket holder information in the mail.  

 

6. I can't wait to see visiting teams.  I will root for the Wolves (except when they play the defending champion Celtics), but I'll be more excited to see their opponents.  I can't wait to see Durant and the Thunder. I can't wait to see Steve Nash.  I can't wait root against the Lakers.  I can't wait to see Lebron and the Bulls.   I can't wade to see Dwayne Wade, Carlos Boozer and the Miami Heat.  I can't wait to see Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh and the Knicks.  What better season to have tickets then right after the best offseason ever?

Anyhow, if you have it in you, root hard for the Timberwolves to get the #1 pick tomorrow.  And then come up to Minnesota, I'll have plenty of tickets to go around.  I look forward to blogging about the season ticket holder experience.

 

 

"I Can't Believe What I Just Saw"

One of the things we love about sports is that no matter how many games you've watched, you can always see something you've never seen before.  There are moments where we can't believe what we just saw.  And this is what keeps us coming back for more.  Two memories from my childhood:

1.  1990 Sweet Sixteen UConn vs. Clemson.  With 1 second left and UConn trailing by one, they had to inbound from all the way across court.  I was seven, about 2 feet from the television, and I was crying.  UConn had lost...or so I thought.  Then Scott Burrell, also a baseball player, throws a perfect pass to Tate George who turns around and hits the shot, Huskies win.  I cannot even explain the joy I felt.

2.  1993 AFC Playoffs Bills vs. Oilers.  I was at some friends' house for this one.  Discouraged by an awful first half (the Bills trailed 35-3 at halftime), we found other things to do, but checked on the game periodically.  Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly left the game with an injury, and backup Frank Reich enters the game.  Buffalo goes on to win the game in the greatest comeback in NFL history.

I credit these two memories for my love of sports.  It is because of these that I never leave a game early, or shut off the TV early.  But these situations do not just happen in important postseason matches.  They happen at the most unexpected moments, in games that may otherwise seem meaningless.  It's moments like these that keep us interested in the regular season as well.  On Sunday, several thousand fans in Oakland went to the ballgame, probably with low expectations.  The A's haven't been awful this year, but the Rays have been very good.  Yet they got to witness something that has happened only 19 times in the history of baseball: a perfect game.  On Saturday night, I went to see the Twins play the awful Baltimore Orioles.  I did not see a perfect game, but in the eighth inning I witnessed a game situation that I had never seen before and I will not soon forget.

With a man on second and third and one out Nick Punto comes to the plate.  Punto is a slick fielder, but in 10 big league seasons has a .248 batting average and 12 homeruns.  Trying to set up a double play, the O's intentionally walk Punto (my friend and I simultaneously joked that this must have been Punto's first intentional pass ever) to load the bases putting Alexi Casilla at the plate (.245, 7 HRs career).  I said to my friend, and brother-in-law, "they should put in Mauer."  Joe Mauer has been hurt for a week, but was eligible to DH this weekend.  We all had a good laugh, with the Twins leading 4-1, it seemed unlikely that Mauer would enter the game.  And then my brother-in-law pointed toward the Twins dugout.  Slowly the stadium realized #7 was stepping into the batter's box.  We all got to our feet.  The stadium was electric.  These are the moments that keep us interested in the 31st game of a 162 game season.  Mauer worked a full count, and eventually struck out.  But that wasn't the point.  Twins manager, Ron Gardenhire, refused to be conventional and improvised perfectly.  His boldness was rewarded when backup catcher, Drew Butera (who entered the game with a batting avg. below the legal limit at .077, joke courtesy of Matt Peterson), stepped to plate and knocked in two runs with a single to left.  The Twins cruised to a 6-1 victory.  I will never forget the night that the Orioles walked Nick Punto in order to load the bases for the AL MVP.  Just a great moment of surprise, excitement, and comedy.

I'll leave you with one more moment from the weekend that made me say, "I can't believe that just happened."  This came in the form of a single play.  A reminder that in sports, you can never say, "I've seen it all."  Go Celts!

Are You Smarter than a 4th Grader?

A week of substituting for 4th grade has kept me from my usual Monday post.  But it also gave me inspiration for this week's post.  It has brought me back to my early days as a sports fan.  For many 9-10 year-old boys there is nothing more important in life than sports.  One of the journal topics this week was "When I am 25..."  It would probably not surprise you to know that 80% of the boys see themselves as professional athletes at age 25.

In many ways this age is the apex of being a sports fans.  But in other ways, it represents a kind of Dark Age.  For all the joy and enthusiasm, this age can create a great deal of sports regret.  In real life it's our later teen years when we are trying to find ourselves.  We struggle with identity, and try different things.  Years later, this leads to a few regrets.  Sometimes big ones, sometimes small ones (yes, I had an earring for a year and a half in college).  As sports fans, our soul-searching happens much earlier.

On the desks of a number of kids in the class are sports logos, printed out and taped to the desk.  Of course, in Minnesota, you will see your share of Vikings logos, but I also saw some Eagles logos.  You'll see your share of Twins jerseys, but I also saw some Cavaliers jerseys.  This made me feel at happy, and at home.  Because I too wrestled with my sports identity between the ages of 9-13.  I have come to believe that this is a normal, natural part of becoming a mature sports fan.  Or at least I want to believe that it's normal and natural.  It may be that I am still trying to justify the fact that as a 13 year-old, I...how do I phrase this...ummm....I.....I wore a Yankees jersey.  There I said it.  I, a die hard Red Sox fan, once wore a Yankees jersey.

Now that that's off my chest, let's explore some of the reasons why.  Let's look at sports through the eyes of a young child.

1. You want to be like Dad (but you like mom too).  I see this one in my nephew, born in Colorado, raised in New Hampshire and Seattle, so naturally......a Minnesota Vikings fan.  Of course his dad was born and raised in Minnesota.  This, however does not keep him from wearing the occasional Bears gear, provided by his mom.  This was really difficult for me to sort out.  My dad was born in LA, my mom was born in Chicago, and I was raised in New England.  In 1990, I didn't quite grasp how silly it was that I rooted for Magic's Lakers, Michael's Bulls, and Larry's Celtics.  (In fact, my older brother had a Larry Bird sweatshirt, my twin brother had a Michael Jordan sweatshirt, and I had a Magic Johnson sweatshirt that I wore almost everyday between 2nd and 6th grade). 

2.  You want to root for the local team.  This is only natural.  It's the team you get to see on TV, or maybe live on occasion.  Many of your friends are probably rooting for them too.  For many kids, the local team is Dad's team, so two birds with one stone.  Maybe you got an autograph at a game, and one of these local guys becomes your hero.  If you make it to your late teen years rooting for either your Dad's team, or your local team, you've done pretty well for yourself.  It won't be hard to explain why you root for a specific team.  But there are other forces competing for your loyalty...

3.  You're a sucker for "cool" colors or logos.  In the early 90s most expansion teams used purple or turquoise or both in their uniforms, and I ate it up.  Red and blue were boring, purple and turquoise were........different.  I went through a huge Charlotte Hornets phase.  I regret this almost as much as my Yankees jersey (and actually this is the reason why I ended up with the jersey, I thought it looked cool).

4.  You want to cheer for a winner.  This makes a lot of sense.  At age 10, I don't think a child is old enough to understand a term like "lovable losers."  If you tell a kid they can have a soda now, or two sodas tomorrow, almost all of them will take the Coke now.  Instant gratification.  Almost all of my peers went through a phase where they rooted for Jordan's Bulls.  I know I did.  It was fun to root for the winner every year.  Hopefully though, we all grow out of this.  I can't take someone my age seriously if they are still Bulls/Cowboys/Yankees fans.

5.  You want to fit in with your friends.  One class that I subbed for this year had at least five kids who were Philadelphia Eagles fans.  Perhaps one of them had roots in Philadelphia, but the rest of them just wanted to have something in common.  Again, this is understandable, but something we grow out of. 

6.  You want to root for a team that's fun to play video games with.  Video games have evolved quite a bit since I was this age, but I can tell you it was more fun to play NBA Jam with Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning than Dee Brown and Dino Radja.

7.  You have an affinity for a certain player.  One of my good friends growing up loved Shaquille O'Neal, and was therefore an Orlando Magic fan (he actually gets a pass for this, and can continue to root for the team because as an NBA fan living in Nebraska, you can pick your team without having a good reason).  I went through this with Hakeem Olajuwon for a while.  My t-shirt jersey is a nod to my childhood sports identity crisis.

As a child, I can distinctly remember wearing hats, jackets, or shirts of the Celtics, Bulls, Lakers, Kings, Hornets, Spurs, Suns, Red Sox, White Sox, Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Rockies, Marlins, Dodgers, Twins, Braves, Royals, Bills, Patriots, Chiefs, Giants, Seahawks, UConn, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Florida State, and that's just what I remember off the top of my head.  Some of them were gifts, some were souveniers from games I attended, some were because I liked the colors, and others were because the team was good. 

From about 14-25 I went through a time where I identified strongly with "my teams":  the Bills, the Red Sox, the Celtics, UConn basketball, Husker football.  I have to say though, on the other side of 25, I'm starting to revert to my childhood ways.  I'm not sucked in by colors, logos, or peer pressure anymore.  But I find myself wanting to root more and more for the local teams.  I've already admitted to a shifting loyalty from the Bills and the Vikings, but I've also looked at more Twins box scores in the last week than Red Sox ones.  My wardrobe features a Timberwolves shirt, a Rockets shirt, but no Celtics shirt.  I wasn't bent out of shape about UConn missing the tournament this year because it gave me a chance to root for the underdog.  Now, I'm not giving on my teams, I'm just saying, recently my interests have broadened.

All this has made me think that maybe kids are on to something.  Maybe it is fun to enjoy sports more broadly.  Maybe our loyalties are confining.  As my dad commented in an earlier post, why should a college football fan feel compelled to follow a boring football team (his example, Frank Solich's Huskers)?  Why should a Steeler fan feel compelled to root for a quarterback who can't behave himself?  Why should a Cubs fan talk themselves into the team each and every year?  Why should a Minnesotan have to root only for the teams that were his local teams when he was 12? 

In the end I think there is only one rule that should govern all sports fans:  If you're a Red Sox fan, you have no excuse for ever, ever wearing a Yankees jersey.