BASEBALL!!!!!!!

Celtic Rider

I had to do it! So who are your Favorite Baseball teams and who do you think is going to the world series? I would love to see The White Sox VS Cubs! The White Sox would win again, no doubt about it! It should be some intersting playoffs! Good ***!

rmccloud

Life long Cubs fan but I am sure that they will screw it up along the way. World Series will probably be Angels/Cubs with the Angels winning it all.

dutyje

Let's see... when I was very young, I liked the Indians, like my father. Then, as I watched a lot of baseball on TV, I became a Braves fan (America's team.. Dale Murphy, etc). Then, when I had acquired a vast card collection, and was playing little league, I decided it was time to look at the players and teams out there, and pick my favorite based on their merits. For players, I decided on Don Mattingly, Wade Boggs, and Roger Clemens (in that order). I also loved the Yankees for Mattingly, Winfield, and Righetti... as well as historical greats (like my favorite, Mickey Mantle).. so I became a Yankee fan.

I followed baseball obsessively until the Yankees won the World Series. Then another... then I really didn't care to see the Yankees win so much as I wanted to see equity in baseball. After college, I met lots of people who would ask me my favorite team, and they all hated me for liking the Yankees. So I became less of a Yankees fan and more of a Red Sox hater. In fact, it is more important to me to see the Red Sox not win a World Series, than for the Yankees to win one.

My father is getting on in years. These days, I'd like to see the Indians win a World Series more than anything. I don't really have a team anymore, because I'm so sick of baseball as an industry. It used to be the only sport in my eyes.

EDIT: I actually thought of the Red Sox as one of my favorite teams up until I ran into so mny Yankee-haters... Not being from the northeast, I didn't get this as a kid. Also, since I liked Clemens and Boggs (and I loved Ted Williams), I really wanted the Red Sox to do well. I was obsessed with statistics and history. Those were the most important parts of the game to me. Those parts of the game are largely irrelevant with the steroids era. Once the Red Sox took the World Series (which, BTW, was the perfect way to do it, coming back from being down 3-0 to the Yankees), I really didn't have a whole lot left to watch in baseball.

madurofan

dutyje:

Let's see... when I was very young, I liked the Indians, like my father. Then, as I watched a lot of baseball on TV, I became a Braves fan (America's team.. Dale Murphy, etc). Then, when I had acquired a vast card collection, and was playing little league, I decided it was time to look at the players and teams out there, and pick my favorite based on their merits. For players, I decided on Don Mattingly, Wade Boggs, and Roger Clemens (in that order). I also loved the Yankees for Mattingly, Winfield, and Righetti... as well as historical greats (like my favorite, Mickey Mantle).. so I became a Yankee fan.

I followed baseball obsessively until the Yankees won the World Series. Then another... then I really didn't care to see the Yankees win so much as I wanted to see equity in baseball. After college, I met lots of people who would ask me my favorite team, and they all hated me for liking the Yankees. So I became less of a Yankees fan and more of a Red Sox hater. In fact, it is more important to me to see the Red Sox not win a World Series, than for the Yankees to win one.

My father is getting on in years. These days, I'd like to see the Indians win a World Series more than anything. I don't really have a team anymore, because I'm so sick of baseball as an industry. It used to be the only sport in my eyes.

EDIT: I actually thought of the Red Sox as one of my favorite teams up until I ran into so mny Yankee-haters... Not being from the northeast, I didn't get this as a kid. Also, since I liked Clemens and Boggs (and I loved Ted Williams), I really wanted the Red Sox to do well. I was obsessed with statistics and history. Those were the most important parts of the game to me. Those parts of the game are largely irrelevant with the steroids era. Once the Red Sox took the World Series (which, BTW, was the perfect way to do it, coming back from being down 3-0 to the Yankees), I really didn't have a whole lot left to watch in baseball.

F**k the Yankees.

madurofan

Now that thats behind us, I'm going Angels v. Dodgers, for an all LA Series.

By the way I'm an Orioles fan, now let me go get my brown bag ...

urbino

I'm a Dodgers fan. I think we'll fold, but the last few weeks have been fun.

Orioles, huh? Bless your heart.

madurofan

urbino:

Orioles, huh? Bless your heart.

Southern Tradition right there you can say anything you want about someone if you follow it up with, bless his/her/their heart. LOL

Orioles and Redskins, I like the pain apparently.

urbino

Throw in the Wizards and your doom is complete.

madurofan

Orlando Magic

urbino

When it rains it pours.

madurofan

On a semi bright spot, when I actually pay attention to hockey I am a Rangers fan and with Nascar I root for Jimmy Johnson

Luko

Being from Pgh, I have the distinct pleasure of rooting for the best professional football and hockey teams in their respective leagues.

However, we also get saddled with the Pirates, who this year set the record for most consecutive losing season by any professional sports team. Ah, we'll turn it around next year. Great ballpark, though. Among the best, I've heard from people who would know. If you've never been, it's work a weekend trip. I'll buy you a cigar and beer if you come by.

dutyje

madurofan:

On a semi bright spot, when I actually pay attention to hockey I am a Rangers fan and with Nascar I root for Jimmy Johnson

That's my guy, too... I've met quite a bit of that crowd. I met Diane Dorton a few years ago on one of the MS Challenge Walks that I do every year. She had been recently diagnosed with MS, and we traded some e-mails about the disease, etc. She lost her husband (Randy Dorton, chief engine builder for Johnson) that fall in the Hendrick plane crash, and a good 30+ people from the NASCAR family made it out to support her on the walk the following year. I always wear my JJ hat on the walk for sun protection, and Shanny (JJ's wife, don't know how to spell it) naturally gave me compliments on my hat. A number of the other wives were there, as well as non-raceday crew/staff.

The whole industry is full of some of the most genuinely nice people you'll ever meet. It's a shame that Diane has since come out attacking Rick Hendrick, as if the man hasn't suffered enough. I think she's just having an extremely difficult time dealing with the loss of her husband. To be honest, I think she's having an equally hard time dealing with the loss of her connection to that community.

dutyje

Luko:

Being from Pgh, I have the distinct pleasure of rooting for the best professional football and hockey teams in their respective leagues.

How do the Cowboys and the Red Wings have anything to do with Pittsburgh?

urbino

Maybe they are fam-i-ly.

madurofan

THats really cool duty. THe whole tragedy that was the the Hendrix crash was horrible. WHat is she attacking Hendrink over?

I'm not a big Nascar on TV guy but I love going to the races. I used to go to both Richmond Races, both Martinsville and at least one each of Darlington and Rockingham but its been a few years since I've been able to make one. One year my Dad was a sponsor at Darlington and I got to do the Breakfast with the drivers I had pit passes the whole weekend and all. It was JJ's rookie year and I was at his table for breakfast. Up until that point I hadn't really had a favorite driver I pulled for the Chevy's. After sitting there with him and chatting, I had a favorite driver. Great guy, personable, funny and really cheesy, haha.

Also the way that breakfast worked was every driver and a guest (most had their wife or crew cheif) had a table and 4 or 5 people sat with them. Dale Jr didn't even bother to show up, he was the only driver that didn't so here these people paid all this money to help sponsor this race and one of the perks was eating breakfast with the drivers and the people that thought they were lucky enough to get seated with Jr end up getting cheated out of this experience altogether.

I've got a couple other stories about Jr that I've witnessed that have led me to have no respect for him. My Dad and his business partner were both HUGE Dale fans but both can't stand Jr after being there for these same events I'm talking about.

dutyje

Yeah, JJ's a huge dork... that's why he's my favorite driver

I didn't follow it too closely, but I believe Dianne contends in a lawsuit that Rick Hendrick demanded that the airplane land in Martinsville, despite the poor weather conditions. She claims that he exhibited no concern for the safety of the passengers, and mandated that the pilot not divert to another airport with better conditions. These allegations don't make a whole lot of sense if you consider the other passengers on the plane (Rick's son, Rick's brother, Rick's two nieces)... I highly doubt he would demand a plane to land irregardless of the pilot's assessment of the dangerous conditions.

Edit with link to an article

urbino

Sorry, Cubbies. Truly. I wish it had been somebody else. But we're not interested in becoming the next you; 20 years without a playoff win is long enough.

Go, Dodgers, go!

j0z3r

urbino:

Sorry, Cubbies. Truly. I wish it had been somebody else. But we're not interested in becoming the next you; 20 years without a playoff win is long enough.

Go, Dodgers, go!

Yeah, a real bummer for us Cub fans. And me being from California, to get taken out by the Dodgers is even worse. Oh well, it's not as though the Cubbies don't have a history of falling apart in the post-season.

rmccloud

j0z3r:

urbino:

Sorry, Cubbies. Truly. I wish it had been somebody else. But we're not interested in becoming the next you; 20 years without a playoff win is long enough.

Go, Dodgers, go!

Yeah, a real bummer for us Cub fans. And me being from California, to get taken out by the Dodgers is even worse. Oh well, it's not as though the Cubbies don't have a history of falling apart in the post-season.

Damn, did they ever fall apart. Especially in the second game of the three.