I Knew It
A few weeks ago, a friend tried to place as members of the Rat Pack. Now there is a limited quiz to place you among four choices.
No surprise to me that I came up as
Dean Martin.
Take Quizilla's
"Which Brat Pack Member Are You?" qjuiz.
Nyah-Nyah-Nyah! We're the Most Pitiful
Some Clevelanders have taken to resenting the attention that the fans of the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs get for being long suffering fans. The meme that has become common is that when you look at all the major sports in a town (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) then no fans of a
particular city has suffered more than Cleveland in total. Here's a typical
example from a column
Look at the dynamics of this city and apply the same to the fans of the Red Sox and Cubs. You see why that when it comes to misery, fans in those two cities are not worthy company to keep.
Followers of the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers are not separate congregations. The same fans pray all-year round for a deliverance.
There might be a Red Sox Nation, but it's not a city unto itself. It is only self absorbed.
They have the Celtics in Boston. The Patriots and Bruins, too? Fans of the Cubs have allegiance to the Bulls, Blackhawks and Bears.
You are full timers at this exasperating work of waiting for a title. Despair for them over the same number of years has only been a summer job.
People here punched the clock a day after the Browns won in 1964 and haven't punched out once to attend a world championship parade since. Chicago won an NBA title six years ago, Boston a Super Bowl title two years ago.
Add up the sports seasons since Cleveland last won and you get 126.
Because there is no fan of any sport more passionate than a Cleveland Cavalier fan.
The problems with this meme are many:
1) No one is an equal fan of all sports in a city. You favor your teams and rank them accordingly based on your level of passion. In Cleveland, for most fans it goes Browns, Indians, Ohio State, Cavaliers. This of course assumes they even care about the lesser sports. I don't know anyone who is equally passionate about all teams in their city. It just doesn't happen. I am a big sports fan. I can plant my ass on a bar stool or a couch and watch 9 straight hours of football or baseball. The NCAA basketball tournament rolls around, and I actually hide the remote so the channel won't change. That said, there is a big difference in how I feel about the Yankees as compared to the 76ers. (When the Yankees lost the 2001 World Series to the D-Backs, I was replaying the final innings in my head for days -- even dreaming it. The 76ers made the finals a few years ago, and I just shrugged when they lost.)
2) Comparing apples and oranges. You can't compare the legacy of a longtime franchise like the Cubs or Red Sox to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs aren't even 40 years old. They've had more uniform color changes than Cher in concert. You can go back generations for Red Sox and Cubs fans. The Cavs fans go back one generation.
3) It's really pathetic. Basically, it's admitting that at least one other sports team in each league has got it as bad or worse than Cleveland -- MLB: Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox; NFL: Eagles, Cardinals, Lions, Chargers, Bills; NBA: Clippers, Bucks, Warriors -- but by gum, this is Cleveland. We're bottom feeders in sum total.
Get over the manufactured angst. Are you trolling for the pity f**k? No one respects that, and you're not going to get it this way.
It's this kind of thought process that helps Cleveland to remain the butt of jokes.
Waiting for the Meds
Away on an extended weekend to see family and be with them for Yom Kippur.
Allergies overloaded, with the sudden shifting in weather; leading to my bi-annual sinus infection.
Doctor appointment isn't until tomorrow.
My head feels like a big pillow.
Relying heavily on the
baby crack to keep Angie amused.
Coherent thoughts, let alone getting them typed proving rather difficult.
