No more Macay McBride. +1
No more Wilfredo Ledezma. +1
No more Craig Wilson. +1
No more Mark Redman. +1
Tanyon Sturtze on the DL. 0
Mike Gonzalez on the DL. -1
Willy Aybar on the DL. 0
Edgar Renteria now on the DL. -2
In comes Mark Teixiera. +2
In comes Ron Mahay. +1
In comes Heath Bell. +1
In comes Octavio Dotel. +1
Yes, it's subjective, but the way I see it, throughout the duration of the season, the Atlanta Braves have improved by about nine imaginary points over a neutral, imaginary ranking. The loss of Gonzalez and Renteria has put a noticeable hole in both the bullpen, as well as the lineup. But with the influx of all this new talent at the trade deadline, all I have to ask is this:
Why aren't the Atlanta Braves winning more?
Obviously, I'm writing this after watching Andruw Jones ground into a game-ending double-play, after the Braves had the bases loaded with ZERO OUTS. Of all the players in the world, Jeff Francoeur couldn't make magic happen, but hey, everyone's human. Naturally, there will be points in this season where I will gladly give birth to Andruw Jones' illegitimate child, but for the time being: Fuck Andruw Jones. Him and his achy elbow can sit on the DL and watch his gigantic paycheck diminish, sinking faster than his batting average. The Braves shouldn't have lost this game. At least not in regulation. I would've been satisfied if they could at least make Billy Wagner blow a save before blowing the game, but dependable Andruw generated a worst-case scenario for the eleventy-billionth time this season.
Which brings me to the question I just asked; why aren't the Braves winning more? After hitting three homers in his first three games, Mark Teixiera was relatively a non-factor against both Colorado and now against the Mets. Mahay couldn't get a single ball into the strike-zone against Damion Easley tonight, and blew the lead for Smoltz, who gutted it out and stayed in it long enough, even though we could all tell he didn't have his best stuff tonight. Anyone watching could see the anxiety in Smoltz's eyes when Bobby came to make the pitching change. It's like he knew that this was a night where a save would be blown, and essentially the game would be lost. Smoltz is like god or something, heed his word, and let him get out of the inning himself. Soriano continues to give up homers as often as Andruw Jones generates easy outs, and Dotel has been just as inconsistent. It's only a matter of time before Soriano is put on the DL for sucking, but have the team say something like "pinky tendinitis," or in Josh Beckett's case, an *expletive* blister. Maybe I haven't been watching enough, but has Heath Bell even gotten to pitch yet? That massive AL-pitcher type who looks like he's tipping over while he pitches? Where the fuck has he been?
So in conclusion, despite the fact that the Braves are supposedly now World Series contenders, in reality, they're really still just floating around in mediocrity. There is this weird triangular diagram with a bulb on each point, that the Braves operate on, and the bulbs represent the offense, starting pitching, and bullpen. At any given time, there are always two lights on... but never all three. The hitting will be hot, and the starting pitching will be awesome, but Soriano will somehow start sucking, and Wickman won't be able to close a game outside of Atlanta. Or like when Kyle Davies wouldn't be able to get out of an inning, but Villarreal and Moylan pitch a combined six innings and bail the team out. Or when Tim Hudson pitches 7.2 innings, and the bullpen holds the other team at bay, the offense decides that every hit must be a home run, and they go 1-2-3 in every fucking inning, and inevitably lose the game 3-0. Despite the influx of all this new talent, this operational diagram has not changed.
The Mets are prime for the taking with no Beltran, and Delgado unable to hit any splitters, and Wright chasing slides into the dugouts. They figure out Oliver Perez, but then give up game-winning home runs to Mr. Piss-Hands, Moises Alou of all people.
Being a sports fan is frustrating, as many people can attest to. When the days are over, I'd rather go through such emotional roller coasters over not having baseball at all, But just for one night, it's just a little bit worse, for one Braves fan.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
What to do with Those Predictions
If by some chance you are a professional sports journalist and you happen to stumble upon this I would like to give you some advice. We all know you had to pick someone to finish last, and the Nationals seemed like as good a pick as any. Remember this next year though when you damn one team as having a possibility to be historically bad. With each victory the Nationals inch closer to winning 62 games and not losing 100 we know you cringe. We knew your predictions were wrong from the start. We knew the Nationals had no chance to lose 130, 120, or 115 games. Some of us even doubted they would lose 100, and now it is looking like they won’t.
As a sports journalist I know your editors handed down an edict that you had to bash the Nationals every chance you got. Buster Olney said they would lose 130, Ken Rosenthal said the front office was a mess as they dared fired people they didn’t hire, and Jon Heyman thinks the players are fat and the front office should trade their best players. Look at how many good teams went about building by getting hitters and a couple starters but forgot the bullpen (sorry Cleveland fans). The Nationals obviously have noticed the trend of teams with good relief pitching winning.
As a sports journalist I know your job isn’t to pay attention to pesky things like trends within the game. I also know you can’t judge a player on what they might do unless they play for the Yankees or Red Sox. While everyone else still realized J.D. Drew wouldn’t change. For some reason to you he seemed like a god in a Red Sox jersey.
If it is true what you claim that the Nationals still have no starters and no one on the team can hit then shouldn’t Manny Acta be a lock for manager of the year? The Nationals current rotation is three rookies and two career minor leaguers. Of course Tim Redding is more of a reclamation project, but don’t let pesky things like his surgery and other teams not giving him a chance get in the way of running down the Nats. The Nationals are still a building team and aren’t likely to be very good next year, but remember when you make your predictions just because you have never heard of someone doesn’t mean they aren’t any good.
As a sports journalist I know your editors handed down an edict that you had to bash the Nationals every chance you got. Buster Olney said they would lose 130, Ken Rosenthal said the front office was a mess as they dared fired people they didn’t hire, and Jon Heyman thinks the players are fat and the front office should trade their best players. Look at how many good teams went about building by getting hitters and a couple starters but forgot the bullpen (sorry Cleveland fans). The Nationals obviously have noticed the trend of teams with good relief pitching winning.
As a sports journalist I know your job isn’t to pay attention to pesky things like trends within the game. I also know you can’t judge a player on what they might do unless they play for the Yankees or Red Sox. While everyone else still realized J.D. Drew wouldn’t change. For some reason to you he seemed like a god in a Red Sox jersey.
If it is true what you claim that the Nationals still have no starters and no one on the team can hit then shouldn’t Manny Acta be a lock for manager of the year? The Nationals current rotation is three rookies and two career minor leaguers. Of course Tim Redding is more of a reclamation project, but don’t let pesky things like his surgery and other teams not giving him a chance get in the way of running down the Nats. The Nationals are still a building team and aren’t likely to be very good next year, but remember when you make your predictions just because you have never heard of someone doesn’t mean they aren’t any good.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Trade Deadline Theatrics
The trade deadline is over now, and by now, everyone pretty much knows everyone who was traded to whomever, and it's safe to say that the Atlanta Braves made the biggest impact move of the season by acquiring Mark Teixeira for five players, including Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Screw Eric Gagné and the Red Sox, he is overrated and injury prone, and hopefully he will not injure himself throwing fastballs at a trash bag again. Optimism returns to this travel-weary baseball fan.
As a Braves fan, the most important trade of the season occured two months ago, when Atlanta shipped off the worthless Macay McBBride away. It didn't matter that we got the less-worthless Wilfredo Ledezma in return, because we shipped his less-worthless ass off away yesterday regardless, the fact of the matter is that Macay McBBride was and now still is someone else's problem.
If anyone thinks Detroit's going all the way, better look no further than that gaping left-handed hole in the bullpen. The inferior league is going to be represented by Anaheim, folks.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Definition: The Watermelon Sox
A lot of people love the Boston Red Sox. Regardless of if they're from Boston or not. They have an underdog complex, and regardless of the fact that the Red Sox have exorcised such demons and won it all back in 2004, there are legitimately a lot of fucking fans. I think they're alright, but their fans can be a little annoying. I wouldn't mind people in Atlanta being a little more loyal to the home team.
But today, what I'm going to discuss is the birth of the Watermelon Sox.
Boston, this season is a pretty good team, with decent pitching, a less suspect bullpen, and the usual slugging from Manny Ortez and company, including the impressive emergency of MLB's version of Sam Cassell, meaning the ugliest player in the league - Kevin Youkilis. But winning ways aside, the unfortunate passing of Red Auerbach made the Red Sox decide to honor him earlier in April.
So for an evening, the Boston Red Sox donned green jerseys to tribute the Celtics legend. To make things better, they defeated the Yankees in a come-from-behind, against Mariano Rivera. The jersey is now apparently a permanent item in the Wal-Mart sized Official Red Sox Merchandise store - players who didn't even participate in that particular game, Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jonathan Papelbon, etc, have their names and numbers emblazoned on Celtic green on jerseys for sale.
But let's be frank here - the gesture was touching, but in actuality, it was pretty goofy looking.
My co-writer said it the best when he declared that the Red Sox looked like a bunch of watermelons. I thought about it for a second, and seconded that thought, when I was reminded of chunks of Bubbalicious gum, fresh out of their wrappers.
Look at Jason Varitek here - Navy blue helmet, green jersey, white pants, red knock-socks. Black cleats. Now I'm no fashion genius by any stretch of the imagination, but man, is that a whole lot of colors to be put together in one package.
I wonder what is going to happen when some big figure from the Boston Bruins die one day. I wonder if Varitek is going to have to mix in some yellow into the rainbow of colors he's already wearing.
But today, what I'm going to discuss is the birth of the Watermelon Sox.
Boston, this season is a pretty good team, with decent pitching, a less suspect bullpen, and the usual slugging from Manny Ortez and company, including the impressive emergency of MLB's version of Sam Cassell, meaning the ugliest player in the league - Kevin Youkilis. But winning ways aside, the unfortunate passing of Red Auerbach made the Red Sox decide to honor him earlier in April.
So for an evening, the Boston Red Sox donned green jerseys to tribute the Celtics legend. To make things better, they defeated the Yankees in a come-from-behind, against Mariano Rivera. The jersey is now apparently a permanent item in the Wal-Mart sized Official Red Sox Merchandise store - players who didn't even participate in that particular game, Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jonathan Papelbon, etc, have their names and numbers emblazoned on Celtic green on jerseys for sale.
But let's be frank here - the gesture was touching, but in actuality, it was pretty goofy looking.
My co-writer said it the best when he declared that the Red Sox looked like a bunch of watermelons. I thought about it for a second, and seconded that thought, when I was reminded of chunks of Bubbalicious gum, fresh out of their wrappers.
Look at Jason Varitek here - Navy blue helmet, green jersey, white pants, red knock-socks. Black cleats. Now I'm no fashion genius by any stretch of the imagination, but man, is that a whole lot of colors to be put together in one package.
I wonder what is going to happen when some big figure from the Boston Bruins die one day. I wonder if Varitek is going to have to mix in some yellow into the rainbow of colors he's already wearing.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Definition: The FOX Pitcher
Every few weekends throughout the Major League season, FOX picks up a few games, some nationally televised, some more regional. And they get the All-Star game, as well as the majority of the MLB playoffs, and the World Series.
Despite the fact that baseball is a sport that can really only be broadcast in one way, all local and national markets show the game with their own little twists. Some add wider camera angles, some shoot so that only the pitcher, and those in the batter's circle are visible, really zoomed in tightly.
ESPN films in a fashion that finds a compromised point where the pitcher and batter are roughly in a square, dead center on the screen. The viewer will hear the words "Nationwide K-zone" about every 40 seconds. Also, ESPN plagues the viewers with commercials that plug "The Bronx is Burning" or other repeated ads that often go on too long, often resulting in the game coming back with the first few pitches already being thrown, or whenever Matt Diaz is leading off the inning, with one out already.
Here in Atlanta, we have the luxury of being broadcast on three different networks throughout the season, not including the occasional ESPN and FOX nods. SportSouth, FSN South, and TBS - their styles are pretty much the same, as there is few twists to the otherwise "uniform" way of broadcasting baseball.
But the FOX Network, not only do they have the intense, emotional commentary of Joe Buck, they are also notorious for a camera habit that I like to call...
The FOX Pitcher.
For reasons unknown, FOX cameras, prior to every single pitch, make sure to zoom in as much as possible to the head of the pitcher. It does not matter if it is a star like John Smoltz, or a middle reliever like Joel Piñero, if they're pitching, you learn what they look like, very quickly. And it's not always flattering... like when a guy like Kelvim Escobar is pitching, and you can tell that he really wants to blow his nose after the inning, or how he could make a few extra bucks endorsing Proactiv®.
Why they do this, I have no idea. I suspect that perhaps by showing the pitcher's face, people can try to read into their emotions and what they might thinking. It might actually add to the drama of the game, especially if it's tight, and the crowd is going apeshit. Who knows?
I'm bored at work, and no piece of writing is complete without some visual evidence. So without further ado, I'm going to talk about FOX Pitchers: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
The Good - it's not that they're really that good, or handsome or anything, they're just not... well, bad or hideously ugly.
Tom Glavine's steely stare, and seemingly concrete face. Watching this man pitch makes me wonder if he's got a mask on, because his facial expression doesn't change throughout an entire game. Jonathan Papelbon, and his super-high-energy-intensity stare while reading signs from Varitek. And JJ Putz, after seeing him in action during the All-Star Game, even though he was on the brink of a BS, watching his slow, methodical routine of bending over for the cameras and staring at the ground, before slowly drawing his head upward with a homicidal stare to read the signs from Johjima. Now that I think about it, it's normally closers who have this kind of need for gimmicks (Like Chad Cordero and his flat-bill cap, but FOX would never show the Nationals unless they were in contention), perhaps it helps them get some sort of mental advantage - when trying to get through a high-pressure situation, I imagine any sort of advantage is beneficial, whether it is physical or mental.
The Bad - they're not good, but they're not quite disgusting.
Greg Maddux is one of my all-time favorite pitchers of all time, and I will cheer for him no matter who he plays for. I would favor him over Roger Clemens any day of the week. But let's be honest here, he's not exactly the best looking guy in the world, and looks downright silly when photographed in the midst of a pitch. When FOX cameras zoom into his face, you see a droopy, almost jowly face of a legend who is more concerned about getting you to slap a come-backer to his glove than what he looks like in the mirror. K-Rod and his Steve Urkel-like looks, and his Reggie Jackson-like glasses. If not for the fact that he is a damn good closer, I don't know what this guy's got going for him outside of baseball. And we have Dan Haren, who like most of the Oakland A's, looks like a dirty stoner, or a caveman in a uniform.
The Ugly - watching these guys on your screen makes it harder to watch the game.
Watching Game 5 of last year's World Series was rough - not because of the tightness of the game, and my lack of confidence that Jeff Weaver would get out of another inning, but of the constant close-ups of his face in between EVERY. SINGLE. PITCH. His eyesight has obviously deteriorated with age (as has his skill, seeing his record with Seattle now), but his mangey hair, creepy, pedophile stubble... let me know when Fernando Rodney stops committing errors and the Cards are up to bat, because I'm getting sick of Weaver's face. Kenny Rogers makes the best face while pitching ever. It's not pretty, he gets the job done regardless, but I can't help but laughing whenever I see his face go from FOX injected intensity, to this face from the time his feet are on the rubber to throw. Last, and certainly least, we have 'Ol Boomer, David Wells. The man has never been pretty to look at, and watching his left arm have to go around his massive gut en route to a lollipop curve is never a pretty sight. But he has a Perfect Game on his resume, and none of these other jabronis on the list can say so.
I love playoff baseball, but FOX can do without the constant closeups of every single pitcher. And considering the probable playoff teams for this year, Kelvim Escobar can hopefully work something out with Proactiv®.
Despite the fact that baseball is a sport that can really only be broadcast in one way, all local and national markets show the game with their own little twists. Some add wider camera angles, some shoot so that only the pitcher, and those in the batter's circle are visible, really zoomed in tightly.
ESPN films in a fashion that finds a compromised point where the pitcher and batter are roughly in a square, dead center on the screen. The viewer will hear the words "Nationwide K-zone" about every 40 seconds. Also, ESPN plagues the viewers with commercials that plug "The Bronx is Burning" or other repeated ads that often go on too long, often resulting in the game coming back with the first few pitches already being thrown, or whenever Matt Diaz is leading off the inning, with one out already.
Here in Atlanta, we have the luxury of being broadcast on three different networks throughout the season, not including the occasional ESPN and FOX nods. SportSouth, FSN South, and TBS - their styles are pretty much the same, as there is few twists to the otherwise "uniform" way of broadcasting baseball.
But the FOX Network, not only do they have the intense, emotional commentary of Joe Buck, they are also notorious for a camera habit that I like to call...
The FOX Pitcher.
For reasons unknown, FOX cameras, prior to every single pitch, make sure to zoom in as much as possible to the head of the pitcher. It does not matter if it is a star like John Smoltz, or a middle reliever like Joel Piñero, if they're pitching, you learn what they look like, very quickly. And it's not always flattering... like when a guy like Kelvim Escobar is pitching, and you can tell that he really wants to blow his nose after the inning, or how he could make a few extra bucks endorsing Proactiv®.
Why they do this, I have no idea. I suspect that perhaps by showing the pitcher's face, people can try to read into their emotions and what they might thinking. It might actually add to the drama of the game, especially if it's tight, and the crowd is going apeshit. Who knows?
I'm bored at work, and no piece of writing is complete without some visual evidence. So without further ado, I'm going to talk about FOX Pitchers: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
The Good - it's not that they're really that good, or handsome or anything, they're just not... well, bad or hideously ugly.
Tom Glavine's steely stare, and seemingly concrete face. Watching this man pitch makes me wonder if he's got a mask on, because his facial expression doesn't change throughout an entire game. Jonathan Papelbon, and his super-high-energy-intensity stare while reading signs from Varitek. And JJ Putz, after seeing him in action during the All-Star Game, even though he was on the brink of a BS, watching his slow, methodical routine of bending over for the cameras and staring at the ground, before slowly drawing his head upward with a homicidal stare to read the signs from Johjima. Now that I think about it, it's normally closers who have this kind of need for gimmicks (Like Chad Cordero and his flat-bill cap, but FOX would never show the Nationals unless they were in contention), perhaps it helps them get some sort of mental advantage - when trying to get through a high-pressure situation, I imagine any sort of advantage is beneficial, whether it is physical or mental.
The Bad - they're not good, but they're not quite disgusting.
Greg Maddux is one of my all-time favorite pitchers of all time, and I will cheer for him no matter who he plays for. I would favor him over Roger Clemens any day of the week. But let's be honest here, he's not exactly the best looking guy in the world, and looks downright silly when photographed in the midst of a pitch. When FOX cameras zoom into his face, you see a droopy, almost jowly face of a legend who is more concerned about getting you to slap a come-backer to his glove than what he looks like in the mirror. K-Rod and his Steve Urkel-like looks, and his Reggie Jackson-like glasses. If not for the fact that he is a damn good closer, I don't know what this guy's got going for him outside of baseball. And we have Dan Haren, who like most of the Oakland A's, looks like a dirty stoner, or a caveman in a uniform.
The Ugly - watching these guys on your screen makes it harder to watch the game.
Watching Game 5 of last year's World Series was rough - not because of the tightness of the game, and my lack of confidence that Jeff Weaver would get out of another inning, but of the constant close-ups of his face in between EVERY. SINGLE. PITCH. His eyesight has obviously deteriorated with age (as has his skill, seeing his record with Seattle now), but his mangey hair, creepy, pedophile stubble... let me know when Fernando Rodney stops committing errors and the Cards are up to bat, because I'm getting sick of Weaver's face. Kenny Rogers makes the best face while pitching ever. It's not pretty, he gets the job done regardless, but I can't help but laughing whenever I see his face go from FOX injected intensity, to this face from the time his feet are on the rubber to throw. Last, and certainly least, we have 'Ol Boomer, David Wells. The man has never been pretty to look at, and watching his left arm have to go around his massive gut en route to a lollipop curve is never a pretty sight. But he has a Perfect Game on his resume, and none of these other jabronis on the list can say so.
I love playoff baseball, but FOX can do without the constant closeups of every single pitcher. And considering the probable playoff teams for this year, Kelvim Escobar can hopefully work something out with Proactiv®.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
the all-star game sucks
never send a phillie to do a real ballplayer's job.
the NL will never win as long as representatives from teams like the phillies, diamondbacks and pirates are obligated to have representatives. the inferior league was smart - meche, jenks, and most importantly, the middle reliever voted-in as the "last in line all-star" okajima did not pitch.
la russa on the other hand used the pity vote chris young, a mediocre #2 starter with inflated stats to blow the game, and then guys like billy wagner who can't throw anything outside of the fucking middle of the plate clinches it.
amazingly cubs players pull the NL back, before a phillie ruins the excitement.
and la russa selfishly rests his star who only had to get a single base-hit to keep the game going. pujols wouldn't even have to try to run to first if he got a clean hit, homer or not. a base hit would have resulted in either a tie or the win, but la russa fucked that up.
the NL will never win as long as representatives from teams like the phillies, diamondbacks and pirates are obligated to have representatives. the inferior league was smart - meche, jenks, and most importantly, the middle reliever voted-in as the "last in line all-star" okajima did not pitch.
la russa on the other hand used the pity vote chris young, a mediocre #2 starter with inflated stats to blow the game, and then guys like billy wagner who can't throw anything outside of the fucking middle of the plate clinches it.
amazingly cubs players pull the NL back, before a phillie ruins the excitement.
and la russa selfishly rests his star who only had to get a single base-hit to keep the game going. pujols wouldn't even have to try to run to first if he got a clean hit, homer or not. a base hit would have resulted in either a tie or the win, but la russa fucked that up.
Friday, July 6, 2007
A Great Mystery Solved
I mean no offense to people from Chicago with what I am about to write. Being a Nationals fan and someone who cheers for the hometown team no matter what I can somewhat relate to Cubs fans from Chicago. Of course Wrigley Field is also full of yuppies that care nothing for the game and just want to sit around and throw trash on the field. I guess a lot of Cubs fans throw themselves on the field.
Some teams just travel well. The Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Mets always bring their fans, but those teams win. The Cubs haven’t won anything that anyone can remember. The last time they made it to the playoffs they lost because their second baseman couldn’t pick up a routine grounder. Don’t even try given me that crap about Bartman. I don’t understand how one foul ball that still had to be caught by stone hands Alou can lead to an eight run inning. The Cubs just don’t win, and they don’t win in funny fashion. They are a comedy to all baseball fans that are not Cubs fans. So it has always confused me as to why someone would bandwagon with the Cubs. Why would someone choose to be a loser?
I can understand wanting to follow a winning team, but choosing to be a Cubs fan is like choosing to be a Devil Rays fan, or have a root canal without anesthesia. It just never made much sense until I attended three games against the Cubs this week. I saw many people who should be eating chicken heads at the local fair all wearing Cubbies blue. So the only possible answer is bandwagon Cubs fans are born losers. They are just used to losing. It is what they do. Instead of being a poser and cheering for the Yankees or some other team that has won the World Series in anyone’s lifetime they don’t hide their identity. They are just losers.
The funniest conversation I heard was between a bandwagon Red Sox fan and a bandwagon Cubs fun discussing the amount of fans in the stadium. The Cubs fan was trying to figure out the percentage of Cubs to Nationals fans, and the Red Sox fan claimed there were more Red Sox fans in RFK than Nationals fan. There is always someone in every building in the world wearing a Red Sox hat. So the fact that this guy saw another one must mean there are most than those that came to cheer for the Nationals. Quick math here before I get to what the Cubs fan decided was the ratio of Cubs to Nats fans. The Nationals have 15,000 season ticket holds and last nights attendance was 22,000. 7,000 of the people were not season ticket holders. It is from this 7,000 were the Cubs fans were most likely to come from. The Cubs fan claimed that it was 60% Cubs fans at RFK. This of course is not possible, and I would say it was more like 20%. But Cubs fans are born losers and can’t count.
Some teams just travel well. The Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Mets always bring their fans, but those teams win. The Cubs haven’t won anything that anyone can remember. The last time they made it to the playoffs they lost because their second baseman couldn’t pick up a routine grounder. Don’t even try given me that crap about Bartman. I don’t understand how one foul ball that still had to be caught by stone hands Alou can lead to an eight run inning. The Cubs just don’t win, and they don’t win in funny fashion. They are a comedy to all baseball fans that are not Cubs fans. So it has always confused me as to why someone would bandwagon with the Cubs. Why would someone choose to be a loser?
I can understand wanting to follow a winning team, but choosing to be a Cubs fan is like choosing to be a Devil Rays fan, or have a root canal without anesthesia. It just never made much sense until I attended three games against the Cubs this week. I saw many people who should be eating chicken heads at the local fair all wearing Cubbies blue. So the only possible answer is bandwagon Cubs fans are born losers. They are just used to losing. It is what they do. Instead of being a poser and cheering for the Yankees or some other team that has won the World Series in anyone’s lifetime they don’t hide their identity. They are just losers.
The funniest conversation I heard was between a bandwagon Red Sox fan and a bandwagon Cubs fun discussing the amount of fans in the stadium. The Cubs fan was trying to figure out the percentage of Cubs to Nationals fans, and the Red Sox fan claimed there were more Red Sox fans in RFK than Nationals fan. There is always someone in every building in the world wearing a Red Sox hat. So the fact that this guy saw another one must mean there are most than those that came to cheer for the Nationals. Quick math here before I get to what the Cubs fan decided was the ratio of Cubs to Nats fans. The Nationals have 15,000 season ticket holds and last nights attendance was 22,000. 7,000 of the people were not season ticket holders. It is from this 7,000 were the Cubs fans were most likely to come from. The Cubs fan claimed that it was 60% Cubs fans at RFK. This of course is not possible, and I would say it was more like 20%. But Cubs fans are born losers and can’t count.
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