Baseball 2014

[Barrister]

First time ever I've done a non-Winnipeg Jets themed Languish sports avatar.  Let's see if it works...

It works, Jumpy McBandwagon.

Fuck. You.

For almost all of the 1980s, I was inseparable from my Royals hat (well, one of many Royals hats).  My love of all things KC Royals is by no means a recent phenomenon.  My embrace of the Royals isn't because of joining a bandwagon - it's out of surprise that my childhood team, which I long ago had abandonded due to general ineptitude, is one again good now that I'm in my middle age.

So... you liked them when they were good in the early 80's, abandoned them as soon as they started playing poorly and have taken up liking them again now that they're good?  Maybe that doesn't make you a bandwagonner, but ti sure as heck makes you a fair weather fan at best.

Fair enough - I'm not a manly enough fan to suffer through watching 30 years of shitty baseball.

[Valmy]

Oh but you spend tons of time and money on a shitty Hockey franchise.  I see how you Canucks are.

[Eddie Teach]

So... you liked them when they were good in the early 80's, abandoned them as soon as they started playing poorly and have taken up liking them again now that they're good?  Maybe that doesn't make you a bandwagonner, but ti sure as heck makes you a fair weather fan at best.

Watching your team lose sucks.

[Barrister]

Oh but you spend tons of time and money on a shitty Hockey franchise.  I see how you Canucks are.

Ah, but I spent tons of that time NOT watching a shitty hockey team that didn't exist.

And for the last three years, I've watched a moderately interesting bubble team, thank you very much.   

[Barrister]

And wait a sec - isn't BA the *other* Royals fan on Languish?

[sbr]

And wait a sec - isn't BA the *other* Royals fan on Languish?

The Royals are terrible so it would make sense that BA is a big fan. 

I can understand his resentment though, he has sat through that crap for 30 years.  You shouldn't just be able to come and go as you please and only pay attention to the good times.

[Eddie Teach]

And wait a sec - isn't BA the *other* Royals fan on Languish?

The Royals are terrible so it would make sense that BA is a big fan. 

I'm surprised he doesn't root for Vandy.

[Sophie Scholl]

I grew up in a Yankees household during the 80's, so horrible baseball teams are a natural state for me.  I picked up the Royals on a whim in 1995 after getting sick of following my favorite player, Rickey Henderson, from team to team to team to team.  I wanted to pick a team that needed fans and it came down to the Tigers or Royals, seeing as how I was partial to the AL.  I flipped a coin and it came up heads, so I went with KC.  Whoops.  I spent 15 years in that abusive relationship and witnessed one .500 or above season.  Just in time to get the team stuck with Mike Sweeney's contract to be renewed because of it.  Finally, after totally burning out watching all of the futility of the Dayton Moore era which I actually, foolishly, held out hope for at the beginning of, I decided to start watching some other teams on the side.  I ended up picking up the Cleveland Indians as a number 2 team and eventually as my new number 1.  I like their coach, I like their players, I like their city, I like their relative closeness to my location, I like their radio announce team, I like just about everything expect the attendance at Indians games.  I've managed to make it out to Cleveland to catch a few games a season and have listened to I'd say 60 or more games a year since I transferred loyalties. 

I do have to admit that it amuses me greatly that whenever I like a team they generally suck (Yankees in the 80's and early 90's, Royals 95-10, Indians 10-12), yet  within a short time after I move my loyalties, they manages to rebound and become contenders.  It's been incredibly fun to watch the Indians actually compete and make the post season.  Usually I follow baseball till football season which kicks in when my baseball team is eliminated from contention.  Then I follow football till hockey season amps up, by which point my football team is eliminated from contention.  Then I complete the circle by follow baseball once again when my hockey team dies.  I've never been a basketball fan on any level, and I can't work up the interest level to get into college football so far.

[Eddie Teach]

The nice thing about college football is that even when your team is bad, they win half their games(assuming you didn't pick some dinky little school.)

[Barrister]

Horrors!  Opening game of a Royals-Tigers series (the two teams fighting for the AL Central), and the Royals lose!

[Valmy]

The nice thing about college football is that even when your team is bad, they win half their games(assuming you didn't pick some dinky little school.)

Well to be fair no team since 1900 has ever won fewer than 40 games in baseball.  Even when you are a 2014 Texas Rangers fan you have a good shot at seeing a win if you go to the ballpark any given day.

[Valmy]

Heh, two CdM Trivia bits about smooth Mike:

--Only Oriole I ever had in my car, took him back to the ball park after an afternoon game where he was beaned and wound up in the ER. Got myself on camera for the 11 o'clock news with that one.
--Personally knew both chicks that had a threesome with him.   I was not present, but merely assisted with the pre-game introductions. 

Ok that is awesome.  I loved that guy, he and Anderson were amazing in the outfield in the early days of Camden Yards.  I remember I watched one game where they stole multiple homers from the Blue Jays jumping over the wall and the Orioles won 1-0.  Glad to hear he enjoyed orgies in his off time.

Speaking of Roidy Anderson, the Birds magic number is now:



That was still my greatest sports shock ever when he hit 50 homers.  It would be like if Peyton Manning rushed for 1000 yards this year.

[CountDeMoney]

Glad to hear he enjoyed orgies in his off time.

Groupies are a fickle bunch. 

"I just love police cars....ooh, is that an Oriole?"
*exits stage left*

[derspiess]

That was still my greatest sports shock ever when he hit 50 homers.  It would be like if Peyton Manning rushed for 1000 yards this year.

Took me forever to figure out the roid angle on him.  IIRC he was on pace by the All-Star game to shatter the record that year.

[The Minsky Moment]

Don't be so cynical - it was the sideburns, not steroids.