Saturday, January 09, 2010

Can't believe I'm going to watch another football game today

That's three in 2010, more than all of 2009.

For the first time I'm starting to understand the bandwagon thing. Well, not really. I'm not a football fan, but when a team does pique my interest, it is because it's a local team doing well. It's not like I grew up in Pittsburgh and became a New York Yankees fan because they were good and the Pirates were not.

I often think about this because I wonder what it's going to be like when the Reds start winning and the stadium starts filling. (Will it fill? The Bengals had a hard time selling out a playoff game. Is Cincinnati too lazy to fill a stadium these days? I ask in sincerity. And don't give me that "too expensive" excuse - you can take a family of four to Great American Ballpark for $27, which includes parking two blocks from the stadium. If you can't afford $27, maybe you shouldn't have cable television.) One of the great things about watching losing teams play is that you can always go to the stadium and buy a ticket, just like you'd do for a movie. It might be the only good thing, but, you know, there has to be something, right?

Anyway, I have no problem with the casual fan from Cincinnati suddenly appearing at Great American. I suppose my problem with bandwagoners stems from the sheer number of Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers fans who've never set foot in Chicago, New York, Boston, or LA, who root, root, root for the Large Market team and perpetuate this whole six out of eight teams in the playoffs are the same every year nonsense we've had for most of Emperor Selig's reign.

(Sorry if I permit myself to dream that the Reds will be a good team in the near future.)

So is it wrong that I can't stand bandwagoners but I'm going to watch the Bengals take on the Jets today in their playoff game? Is it hypocritical? It does seem a tad inconsistent, doesn't it?

It's weird having a Cincinnati team in the post-season of anything.

I'm colded out, ready for baseball. Seems a lot of people are starting to get restless - lots of "X days until pitchers and catchers report" scattered across cyberspace.

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