At first glance, in 2013, it seems as though I’m a bandwagon fan that only likes teams that are winning. And at this time, most of my teams are experiencing success either presently or very recently. However, my longtime friends will tell you that I’m a true fan. Ya know, the kind that sticks with his team through the good times (2011-12 Kentucky) and the bad (Billy “The Kid” Gillespie Kentucky).
I’m a realist about my teams. Sure, I get excited and can let my bias show from time to time. After all, isn’t that what sports fan hood is about? Aren’t we allowed to be over confident? Brag on our team a little too much? Well, I like to find the happy-medium. I’m ultimately honest about my teams.
Ohio State football- I was born in the state of Ohio. Legend tells that my first toy at the hospital was a fuzzy Ohio state football. I love my Buckeyes, as painful as that can be sometimes. They’re not as good as they think they are. They’re not as good as their fans think they are. And now, with Urban Meyer, we may be doomed by karma. Ah.. sports karma. This will certainly be addressed in a later post. But, they’re still my Buckeyes. Scarlet and grey, and helmets covered in buckeye stickers. Yep, those are my boys.
Kentucky Wildcats basketball- Here’s where my heart is. I love the Buckeyes and football. But, growing up, my heart was in the sport of basketball. I wanted to shoot like Bird, and fly like Michael Jordan. I wanted to play with my uncles, and be coached by my dad. And I did. A lot. I can tell stories for hours about “Around The World”, “21”, “Gotcha” and “Shoot til you make it, make it til you miss it, and a layup” with the boys in my family. We played on every basketball goal we could find. My dad was born in Kentucky, and passed his passion for the Wildcats right on down to me. I still remember sitting on the floor in 1994 glued to the TV when UK won by 4 points after being down to LSU by as many as 31 in the second half. We were like kids. Heck, we still are.
Tennessee Titans- I was a Cincinnati Bengals fan until I discovered Dan Marino. Then, I was torn between the Phish and the Bengals. Then, the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee. It was as if I never had any allegiance to any other NFL team. It helped that the Titans went to the Super Bowl in their first year. They also had a running back named Eddie George. See: Ohio State football.
Cincinnati Reds- I’m not sure how I became a Reds fan. I vaguely remember the 1990 team. I mostly remember the residuals: Chris Sabo, Barry Larkin, Eric Davis, the Nasty Boys, etc. I also remember the day Ken Griffey, Jr. was traded to the Reds. That didn’t work out as planned. Nonetheless, Go Redlegs!
Boston Celtics- Again, my first love was/is basketball. My father, my cousins, and my uncles all played it. Most of them were Larry Bird fans. Unfortunately, my memory of Larry Bird is him lying on his stomach next to the bench with back problems. I still think the golden age of basketball was the Bird/Magic/MJ days.
These are very brief compendiums of my fan hood. I have distinct opinions about the operations of these teams. I’m passionate about these teams and the players. I’ll share this passion as it is relevant.
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