Monday, October 22, 2007

There is no Crying in Baseball

Last night was so bittersweet.

Generally speaking, I hate watching organized sports. Football is a snooze-fest. I was never one of those girls who feigned interest to impress the guys or appear to be "one of them." The whole "football widow" thing kind of makes me sick to my stomach and I would have zero tolerance for that sort of behavior in my husband. In my estimation, the only thing that is good about football is Tom Brady. Did I mention that I detest that Bridget Moynihan?

But I digress...

This is not to say that I am not athletic. I ran track and played tennis in high school. I still love running. But I consider yoga my favorite "sport" now and pretty much humiliated myself as a member of R's softball team three summers ago.

But I do love baseball.

Am I a true fan? Maybe not. I don't get really into it until the post season. The drama! The tears! The stress! I love it. I love staying up until 1 a.m. on crisp fall nights, wringing my hands together and praying my team will win. There is nothing more invigorating.

Growing up, my team was the Cincinnati Reds. My Dad grew up in the city and introduced me to the team before I could talk. I even saw them crush the Oakland A's from the stands during the second game of the 1990 World Series. It was one of the highlights of my life. To be clear: I was never a Cleveland Indians fan.

Since moving to Boston 14 years ago, my loyalty to my beloved Cincinnati Reds has gradually split. Hey, I was young when I moved here! My dad may not be a fan, but how could I be friends with so many Bostonians and live here almost half my life and not fall in love with this cursed team. In retrospect, I was doomed from the start. I always love a good underdog success story. And I can take comfort in the knowledge that the Sox and the Reds are in different divisions--and so far, my loyalty has not been tested.

Again, I have never been an Indians fan. So why was I so sad last night when they lost?

Maybe it was the look on the Indians player's faces when the game ended. Maybe it was talking to my grandmother (and aunt) earlier in the day. Maybe it was just that I always feel for the team that loses. Or maybe it was because there were a lot of unfair calls made in last night's game. But whatever the reason, last nights ALCS victory was far more bittersweet than I anticipated.

Yes, I am thrilled that my team will be in the Series and I can't wait to watch it Wednesday night. But are we still the "little team that could" with a payroll twice that of the Indians? I guess I felt a little like the Yankees (evil empire) last night--and not in a good way. Would I have felt better if we'd lost? No. But there is a small part of me that wanted to see the underdog win--again. Sigh.

Rest assured, I will be over it by Wed. when I get to watch the Sox (hopefully) crush the Rockies. Then I can feel bad for them, too.

1 comment:

Kristi said...

I totally understand rooting for the underdog. As a Buffalo Bills fan, I am used to disappointment, because the Bills continually break their fans' hearts every.single.game.