An Editorial

Issue: Isn't your entire blog an editorial?

Short Answer: Details, details (i.e., I couldn't think of a better title for this post).

Reasoning: I am not what anyone would call a true "fan."  I spent most of my life playing baseball for what I considered some fairly good teams.  Hence, the only team I really ever rooted for, were teams that I was playing on.  Sure, I root for the Bengals and Reds, but I don't live and die with their wins or losses.  I would just rather see them win.  I also root for the Buckeyes because most of my family went there, and I root for the Yellow Jackets because I went there.  When any of these teams win, I am happy.  When any of these teams lose, it doesn't affect me one way or the other.  Like I said before, I am not a true fan.

Over the years of watching sports I have figured out there are only two situations in which I truly root for a team: 1) when I have money on the game (and, yes, sometimes I bet only to have a rooting interest in an otherwise lame-ass game); and 2) when that team is playing against the University of Cincinnati or the University of Georgia (the Pittsburgh Steelers too, but I already covered that here).  I believe situation #1 is self-explanatory, plus, I don't want to get into my gambling habits right here and now.  The second situation may need some further explanation (especially since I am from Cincinnati).  I didn't choose to hate either Cincinnati or Georgia - they made me do it.  See, I grew up in Cincinnati during the era of Bob Huggins and his 0% graduation rate (alright, maybe, just maybe, Keith Gregor graduated - I will have to check the records).  Huggins' teams of the 1990's were made up of some of the worst characters ever to grace a basketball court.  Kenyon Martin, Dontonio Wingfield, Art Long, Rueben Patterson, Melvin Levitt, Danny Fortson, Bobby Brannen, and Steve Logan are just some of the players I could not relate to, nor root for.  When I went to college in 1997, at the heart of the "Bengals-are-the-worst-team-in-the-NFL" era, most of the crap I took from the Georgians I played with was because I came from a city that put the Bearcats on the floor during the college basketball season.  Which, is not that surprising.  Let us also not forget the fact that UC finally had a good year in football in 2009 (1 in 100 or so isn't too bad, right?).  Since UC fans had no idea how to handle prosperity, they started sporting "Buckeye State" t-shirts where the "uc" in "Buckeye" was the UC emblem.  That's right, after Ohio State dominates football for 100 years in this state, UC fans claim the Bearcats have taken over after one good season, which will probably be their last good season.  Or one can hope.  Let's not forget that UC got embarrassed by Florida in the Sugar Bowl that year, and, of course, Ohio State beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl.  I could write for another week about my hatred for UC, however...

I hate the University of Georgia even more.  Now, this hatred comes more from playing against them for four years in college.  The truth is, I started hating Georgia because I went to Georgia Tech, and, well, we were supposed to hate them.  But, after playing against them a few times, especially in Athens, I learned that I really do hate them.  I can remember one game, at Georgia, that I was playing right field.  There were stands behind the right field fence where students would get drunk and rag on the right fielder (I'm convinced that was the ONLY reason they were there).  At other schools, I enjoyed this, because the fans were creative and funny (in fact, at Duke, they were making me laugh so hard I started talking to the fans behind the fence and they told me to come have a beer with them after the game - wish I could have).  Georgia students were not.  They came up with nothing new and nothing original (shocking, I know).  They did however almost hit me with a baseball (during the game) and chucked ice and beer cans on the field when they won the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.  The only solace I had is that we were better than them in every sport when I was there.  I remember leaving my house shortly after Thanksgiving dinner my senior year to drive 8 hours to Athens, so I could be at the GT v. UGA football game that Saturday.  My baseball teammates and I wore our GT letter jackets all around campus that weekend, thinking people would start trouble with us.  Not even close.  Not only did no one say anything to us, they did nothing after we beat the hell out of them in their own stadium, and, tore down the hedges that surround the field.  I.  Hate.  Georgia.  (Credit where credit is due: UGA does have a strip club literally across the street from campus (awesome when you are 19), and tons and tons of hot chicks (although, they go to Georgia, so they are also not smart (which can be good or bad, I guess)).

Some may wonder what prompted this post.  I had to find out a way to post the following picture of a typical University of Georgia fan.  Sick.

Go Dawgs!