As some of you know, the men's college basketball tournament, known as March Madness, ended on Monday, with traditional powerhouse Duke barely beating Butler. I was pulling for the team from Indianapolis, and not just because it was the underdog. A small piece was the bulldog mascot; my high school teams were the Bulldogs. A greater factor, though, is that there's a woman in my choir. Every year, during prayer concerns, she talks about her alma mater's progress in the tournament. Given the fact that she lost one son, her husband (also a Butler alum) and her other son to various illnesses in the past two years, I was pulling for the team for her sake; alas, it was not to be.
Whereas I'm not fond of Duke. Though they'd not dominated the tournament recently as they did, I developed a dislike for the team not unlike how some baseball fans HATE the New York Yankees.
Now there are teams I dislike for a period. College football was dominated by teams from Florida for a time, and often there was a certain thuggery in the teams, but they're not as dominant now, so not an issue.
I used to hate the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1960s because they beat the Yankees in the 1963 World Series, a team my father LOVED because the Brooklyn Dodgers played Jackie Robinson. But my Dodger disdain has passed.
In fact, the only franchise I really can't stand are the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. Started off with the Cowboys beating the NY Giants in the 1960s, but it's more about the "America's team" moniker, something *I* never voted on.
Since it's a new baseball season, I thought I'd ask - what teams do you really dislike, and why? What players can you just not stand?
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Singer/songwriter Tom Lehrer measures his birthdays in Celsius.
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John Forsythe died while I was away. I remember him best for two sitcoms. One was called Bachelor Father (1957-1962), where a wealthy attorney took care of his niece, whose parents were killed in a car accident. Niece tries to fix up uncle, who'd rather play the field. The other was The Powers That Be, where he played a clueless US Senator; great cast, short-lived (1992-1993), and deserved a better fate.
ROG
The Juice
3 hours ago
1 comment:
I have never really minded Duke. The way their program is run they turn out some really good men, not just good basketball players.
When it comes to baseball, of course I don't like the Yankees and Red Sox. I can understand some and their love of the Yankees, now that my favorite hockey team has shown some of the same characteristics. (Though to the Wings' credit, they do draft a lot of their talent, not just sign free agents, and the hard salary cap keeps them in line now.) In the NL, I have never really liked the Dodgers while growing up, but did like their players (Cey, Lopes, Yeager, etc.).
With hockey, I don't like the Rangers. They tried to emulate the Yankees and have had horrible results. I also don't like the Devils, but respect their organization. (And being a goalie myself, I like Brodeur.) And of course, since I'm a Wings fan, I don't like the Avalanche and the Blackhawks. The rivalry with the Avs has waned quite a bit over the last few years. And it was tempered by Joe Sakic, who was one of the classiest players the NHL ever saw.
As for players, I don't like guys like Milton Bradley in MLB who seem to think the world revolves around them. Or guys that seem to have my team's number. I haven't been able to follow hockey as closely the last couple of years, meaning watching games, so I don't really have a list of guys right now.
I can understand the underdog rooting. I am with you there. For a while growing up in Detroit, all four of the teams were underdogs. The Tigers showed some life in the mid-80's, but then went quickly downhill. And of course now the Wings have been one of the model franchises of the NHL for nearly 20 years. Because of that, I know the feeling that some get when disdain is shown for your team because they are so dominant. Though the Yankees have only had one bad stretch, during Don Mattingly's career, where they weren't the center of attention. Since the 20's, they have always been one of the teams to beat. That DOES get old.
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