Trading In/Up

Why this post is coming out in August is beyond me. Perhaps it was the let down of another baseball season, or the impending football seasons, or simply hitting rock bottom. Basically, I'm seriously contemplating trading up in all of my sports allegiances. I've been a fan of all these teams fro close to 25 years, and frankly all it's brought me has been a lot of misery. First and foremost:

NFL - I hate to say goodbye to my beloved Buffalo Bills, but I simply can't stomach it anymore. We had nice, albeit heartbreaking, run in the early 90's, a small resurgence in the late 90's, but nothing but dreck since. Cheap ownership, questionable management, poor coaching, and marginal talent have lead to 8 straight non playoff years. After watching this past weekend's pre-season game it's hard to believe anything will change this season. I can't do it anymore.

But I need something to fill the void. I refuse to root for another AFC East team, and the NFC is nothing but a bunch of girls. Therefore, I'm aligning myself with the Pittsburgh Steelers - hard-nosed, proven winners, blue collar. My kind of team. I originally had considered the Cleveland Browns, but that's just more of the same.

MLB - Peter Angelos has finally broken me. The Baltimore Orioles were once a proud team, but after 15 years of Angelos the team is a shell, with no end in sight. It's tough to stay engaged in a 162 game season, tougher still when the team is mathematically eliminated before May. So it's time to move on.

With a burning hatred for both the Red Sox and the Yankees (and once again, the NL is for sissies), I'm going with a left field choice - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Second choice, Cleveland Indians. I went with the Angels due to spending three years following them in the mid-80's. Plus, they turned out to be pretty consistent winners. Cleveland is purely based on geographic proximity, and my love for Major League

NHL - Two seasons ago the Buffalo Sabres looked poised to win it all, then the let their two best players walk. My pessimistic side says it will be a long time before we get close to the Cup again. Out of all my favorite teams, the Sabres are in the best position to pull a surprise. But fuck it, I'm punting on the NHL all together.

College Football - it's a goddamn shame what has happened with the Syracuse University Orange. Poor recruiting, incompetent coaching, and bad hiring decisions have left SU in a position where they are the underdog against MAC teams. I'm at the point where I don't think this program can be salvaged at all, even with the long overdue firing of Greg Robinson. At this point I'm considering spending my Saturdays watching Colgate. Go Raiders.

But, I'm looking for wins and victories. So I'm dropping SU in favor of..... Oklahoma. Why? Because they win, and I like their helmets. I never said I wasn't simple.

NBA - fuck the NBA

So there it is, all my sport paraphenalia related to the Bills, Orange, O's and Sabres is going into the garbage. Starting today, I'm a fan of teams that win, and win often. I think this will result in major positives in my life. My teams will be winners, and therefore I will be a winner. Amen