In the mid to late 1980s, my favorite National League baseball team was the Houston Astros. Not sure why, but my cousin and I spent hours playing a generic baseball dice game. We eventually graduated to Pursue the Pennant (now Dynasty League Baseball) and while I got the Tigers, he always seemed to gravitate to the Astros. So in 1986, with the likes of Mike Scott, Nolan Ryan, and Glenn Davis, I began cheering for the team. And it’s probably why the last two seasons, once the playoffs were set, I’ve picked the Astros to walk away with the World Series.
Now I really find myself cheering for them. With guys like Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio getting one last chance at a championship, along with the likes of seeing the greatest pitcher of our lifetime get out there and not only strike batters out deep into extra innings, but who went to the plate and hacked away like he wants to win the game himself with a walk off homerun.
What a game though. I’ve always been a huge fan of a pitching dual. Since I didn’t tune in until the ninth inning, that’s basically what I got. I thought the fact that Roger Clemens was out there until he wore out and gave up a run made the game even more exciting.
And then it ended. Chris Burke lived the dream by going yard in the bottom of the eighteenth in one of the greatest post season games ever played. It won’t be “as” remembered as if it were a World Series game, but who cares. It was a pleasure getting a chance to watch it.
Screw football. If they kept playing baseball all winter, I’d be switching to the Lions game in between innings, and that’s about it.
So is the Tigers your current favorite? Please provide a timeline of who your favorite teams are/have been. Thank you.
--Posted by Dan on October 13th, 2005 at 10:56 am
I guess I’m not following Dan. The Tigers, my hometown team, have always been my number one favorite team.
But as a kid (in the 1980s) I did choose a favorite most of the time in the playoffs. And in the National League, when they were in there, I usually rooted for the Astros. In 1986, it was the Astros.
Probably the only other time you could say I had a favorite team was when I was seven or eight. My friend and I would go up to the park and play one on one baseball. He’d always be the Tigers, so I picked up on the Yankees, simply because I couldn’t pick the Tigers.
Usually, I find myself looking at the playoffs neutrally, but for the reasons I stated in my post, I now find myself rooting for the Astros.
--Posted by Brian on October 13th, 2005 at 12:06 pm
Boy oh boy … I realize it’s sometimes tough to convey your true intent behind a question in writing, but that was probably one of the most blatant accusations of being a bandwagon fan I’ve ever read. Dan just barged into Brian’s home, walked through the living room with muddy feet, and kicked his dog.
I’ve known Brian a long, long time, and if there’s one thing he ISN’T, it’s a fair-weather fan. The man simply loves baseball, and the Tigers have ALWAYS been his first love. How many Tiger fans do you know would start a Tiger weblog before one of the most gawd-awful seasons of all time and continue to write faithfully? If anything (and I know Dan will agree, as it’s plain from a cursory glance at his own site), Brian’s guilty of wearing rose-colored glasses when it comes to the Tigers.
Being a *baseball* fan means continuing to follow the sport faithfully, even when your favorite team has bit the dust. Even the most rabid Red Sox fan, for instance, probably has a team they’d prefer to see win the Series at this point, now that Boston has bowed out. Brian’s assertion was that the Astros were his favorite *National League* team; note the distinction. You’ll never read anything here that implies he’s EVER had a team he held higher in esteem than his hometown Tigers, through thick (’84) and thin (’03).
Unless you have an editor, a read of your own site reveals a firm grasp on the nuances of writing, Dan; I’m left to assume you DID mean to insinuate the worst. That’s pretty low.
--Posted by Jay on October 13th, 2005 at 1:11 pm
A timeline? What a dork.
Plus anyway, who but a diehard Tigers fan would even root for the pack of losers right now.
--Posted by Nick on October 14th, 2005 at 4:59 pm
No, I didn’t mean it that way! I was going to try to find out where Brian put the White Sox and a few others on his list, and I never got around to following up on it. I can see why it looks like I’m giving him a hard time, but I didn’t mean it that way. Sorry about that.
Ona side note, if there is any justice in the world whatsoever, the White Sox will lose.
--Posted by Dan on October 20th, 2005 at 6:39 pm
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Ummm.. Clemens didn’t give up a run.
Just so happens the law firm where I work does a fair amount of work with an attorney from a California law firm named… Chris Burke. Who grew up in Ypsilanti. I can’t wait for the next time he calls to give him some business about it.
--Posted by jeff k on October 10th, 2005 at 12:06 pm