The Official Olde Towne Team Thread

[TripletDaddy]

Because I love your snarkiness, I'm going to give you the long version of the story.

Born in PHX, AZ. Parents divorced when I was five. Mom is from Maine, so she moved with the kids to Maine. I was there from kindnergarten until 8th grade, at which point I moved back to PHX, AZ to live with my dad.

I became a Sox fan in second grade. It was my first year of little league and my grandfather loved baseball (he actually grew up near Fenway Park) and was a former college coach. He loved the Sox, and despite the fact that no one else I lived with was a Sox fan, I loved them too.

Last nights game was bittersweet for many reasons, one of which was the guy calling the play-by-play: Sean McDonough (who's done quite a few BYU football games for ESPN the last few years). The local Bangor, Maine NBC affiliate used to show the Friday night (or Saturday day) Red Sox games, and I literally grew up watching the Sox to his voice (he was a pretty young guy at that time too). So, it's always great to hear him call a Sox game, but the outcome sort of spoiled the nostalgia.

To be fair, when I moved to AZ, the only real connection I had to the team was to follow them in the paper. I missed the Mo Vaughn hey day and the early part of Nomar's reign. In 2001, upon returning from my mish, I was able to follow them much more closely thanks to enhanced sports programming over the years and being the one who makes the cable/satellite decisions in my house.

At any rate, the criticism of nouveau Sox fans is fair, but you always end up looking like a douche when you assume there are no real Sox fans.

This is another thing I love about Socks fan. For some reason, proximity to or familiarity with Fenway Park often seems to play a huge part in these fabricated conversion tales.

[filsdepac]

Don't worry Sox fans, I became a Niners fan in 1st grade when we learned about the Gold Rush. It paid rich dividends.

[Green Monstah]

I'm not as passionate a fan as GM (I inherited the fanship from my father, who grew up (read: until age 22) in Boston and is still a die-hard; call me a poseur if you wish but I've been consistent over 30+ years). I am not interested in baseball that much, actually, although I go to a game or two a year in whatever city I'm in and bring my kids. But with all that said, the sox lost something when we won in '04. Our very identity was based around the lovable loser, like a more profane version of Charlie Brown. Bucky Bleepin' Dent and Bill Buckner were our identity. Losing to our hated pinstriped nemesis, selling our best player for a mess pottage - this was our legacy and what bound us together. Once the curse was broken, it wasnt the same. And now we are the Yankees Jr. Only the Cubs remain, and one day when some ragtag group wins a title in Wrigley and Bartman is forgotten, they too will look back and lament the loss of what made them special.

I actually agree with this. Rather than losing an identity, however, I feel like the monkey is off my back. Win? Sweet. Lose in devastating fashion? Been there done that.

I also hate the way they're spending money. I'm a closet Rays fan because I admire what they do with the resources they have. In all of U.S. sports, Boise State is the only thing that comes close to what the Rays have done the last four seasons.

I was bummed last night, but not devastated. Pre-'04 (e.g., 2003 ALCS), I would have been completely depressed.

[Green Monstah]

This is another thing I love about Socks fan. For some reason, proximity to or familiarity with Fenway Park often seems to play a huge part in these fabricated conversion tales.

I grew up in New England...just adding a sidenote there.

[Paperback Writer]

You never really explained how you became a die hard fan. 40 years of suffering means that you were already on board prior to the nation's Bicentennial celebration.

I've already commented on it: "I'm not going to dignify DDD with a "poser" story". My adult son has followed the RedSox devoutly since age 5 and he's never been to Boston or remembers our nation's Bicentennial. Sometime I'll muster enough courage to inform him he's a "poser".

I don't catorgorize my years of following the RedSox as "40 years of suffering".

[TripletDaddy]

I actually agree with this. Rather than losing an identity, however, I feel like the monkey is off my back. Win? Sweet. Lose in devastating fashion? Been there done that.

I also hate the way they're spending money. I'm a closet Rays fan because I admire what they do with the resources they have. In all of U.S. sports, Boise State is the only thing that comes close to what the Rays have done the last four seasons.

I was bummed last night, but not devastated. Pre-'04 (e.g., 2003 ALCS), I would have been completely depressed.

lol. Exactly what I'm talking about.

Tar Heel basketball starts soon. Get pumped!

[Green Monstah]

I've already commented on it: "I'm not going to dignify DDD with a "poser" story". My adult son has followed the RedSox devoutly since age 5 and he's never been to Boston or remembers our nation's Bicentennial. Sometime I'll muster enough courage to inform him he's a "poser".

I don't catorgorize my years of following the RedSox as "40 years of suffering".

It wouldn't matter if you did. I should know better than to feed the troll.

[Green Monstah]

lol. Exactly what I'm talking about.

Tar Heel basketball starts soon. Get pumped!

You're being a dumbass. You claim allegiance to two CFB teams, genius.

[The_Tick]

The only people that get a pass are Braves fans and Cubs fans.

This is explained if you grew up in the 70's and early 80's. Everyone had < 12 TV channels. Two of those channels were TBS and WGN. So really...fans of those two teams get a pass. I lived in Utah until I was 12, and Dale Murphy was my favorite player. Not because he was a Mo, but because I could see him play everyday.

I am a Dodger/Mariner fan...so I understand persecution.

[TripletDaddy]

You're being a dumbass.

Which one of us professes to be a die hard Boston fan and a closet Tampa Bay Devil Rays fan....in the same thread?

[happyone]

People have all sorts of reasons for following teams, not just geographical.
I have no geographical connection to any of the teams I follow and root for.

The Red Sox are one of the those teams. The are far and away my favorite AL team and I have been following them since the '67 series. Some of my earlies baseball memories are of Mom letting me play sick so I could watch one of the games of that series. Day games during the week is really on tradition that needs be revived

Some of my favorite players have played for them:

Yaz, Tony C, Jim Rice, Louis Tiant, Freddie Lynn, Boggs, Clements etc

To watch a game at Fenway is one of the things on my bucket list.

My Mom was a big baseball fan, much more than my Father, so subconsiously I probably picked her teams to root for - the Dodgers, Cards and the BoSox.

As for my football preferences, when we lived at Ft. Lewis, the kids arcoss the street were from Wisconson and they loved the Packers and since it was also right in the middle of the Lombardi era and it just rubbed off.

[TripletDaddy]

People have all sorts of reasons for following teams, not just geographical.

I agree. For example, the team is a winning team, it is fashionable to like the team, the team sells a lot of team gear, it is cool to pretend to suffer with every loss of that team, the media has given the team a cool curse, etc.

PS You root for the Cardinals? wtf? What sort of Dodger fan does that? You must have had an interesting 1980s....it was a win-win proposition for you almost every season.

[Jarid in Cedar]

whoa...deja vu

[cougjunkie]

I agree with DDD that red sox have more bandwagon fans than any team and really its not close. Who knew that so many people had ties to Boston.

I am a Giants fan because I grew up in the bay area and from the time I was old enough to walk my family had season tickets at The Stick. All of my uncles were die hard Giants fans and I am the only nephew I was born and raised on the Giants. I moved away from California at 15 and stuck with the Giants.

My other 2 pro sports teams are odd ones. When I was in the first grade I was watching a show (I think it was Wide World of Sports) on the the Chicago Bears. They were fresh off a super bowl and they were talking to the fans about all of the heartache they had to endure for so many years but it was all worth it. I thought it was really cool that their were so many fans that loved their teams for such a long time. So I decided right then and there I was going to pick my teams and stick with them. I was already a Giants fan, so I randomly chose the Miami Dolphins (Dan Marino may have had something to do with it) and the San Antonio Spurs.

I have not wavered once ounce, I buy MLB extra innnings, NBA League Pass, and Sunday Ticket every year and watch every single game. Let me add that I do not root for any other team, I do not have an AL or NL Team, a BCS or non-BCS team, or a team I like to watch play other than BYU, SF Giants, The Phins or the Spurs. Sorry but rooting for multiple teams is a bit bush league in my opinion.

[happyone]

I agree. For example, the team is a winning team, it is fashionable to like the team, the team sells a lot of team gear, it is cool to pretend to suffer with every loss of that team, the media has given the team a cool curse, etc.

PS You root for the Cardinals? wtf? What sort of Dodger fan does that? You must have had an interesting 1980s....it was a win-win proposition for you almost every season.

Like I said, I probably picked up on my Moms favorites. My 2nd favorite player from the 60's early 70's was Bob Gibson and after Koufax retired, he became my favorite. Also when I was stationed at Ft. Campbell in the mid '80 the Cardinal games came in really clear. My favorite announcer after Scully is/was Jack Buck (RIP) Whenever they played there was no question who I rooted for. I just about died when Ozzie hit the home run - I want Tom Niedenfuhr do die a very painful death for a couple of days afterwards.