The Bizzaro Sports World

I was in a gas station convenience store last week and caught the cover of a weekly baseball magazine... "Red Sox Sweep The World Series Again". Okay, so that's one headline I'm not sure I ever expected to read... but then it gets even stranger. The subheading read, "and why they are set up to keep winning World Series." Keep winning World Series??? For someone who grew up in New England and spent their entire life waiting for a Red Sox championship, the realization that I've now seen it twice (and counting) in four years is a paradigm shift like I've never seen as a sports fan. I always thought that if the Sox could just win one and get rid of all those years of baggage, they could truly become a dynasty. Once they stopped having to play to win at all costs every season, they'd be able to focus on the farm system, make trades that had a long term plan in mind, and generally stop thinking only about winning one. And, that seems to be exactly what has happened. The 2004 team was old, and to be perfectly honest, they got every possible break against the Yankees in the ALCS. As a Globe sportswriter noted, they finally ran out of bad luck. But this team is built to last and there are plenty of reserves waiting in the wings. The 2007 Sox didn't need luck -- they were the best team and they played their best baseball when it mattered most. And with the organizational philosophy they have (not to mention the financial resources), this team should be very good for a long time. And those are words that any Red Sox fan has always wanted to say.

As if the Red Sox magic of 2004 and 2007 wasn't enough, my other rooting interests are all becoming relevant again at the same time. Did anyone expect the Browns to be playing a meaningful game against Pittsburgh this weekend? They are still a long way from challenging for a Super Bowl, but when you root for a team that has had exactly two winning seasons since 1990, you get excited when you have won three straight (for the second time this century) and take a 5-3 record into Pittsburgh. As Terry Pulto says, rooting for the Browns is actually fun again.

I haven't cared about the Celtics in well over a decade, and yet, here they are with the 2007 version of the Big Three and looking like a team that should go deep into the playoffs. I'll admit to being a bandwagon fan here, but I watched them absolutely demolish Denver last night, and it wasn't just individual talent -- they are playing as a team the way the Celtics played when I was a kid. The Golden Knights of Clarkson University are ranked eighth in the country and coming off a season in which they took the #2 overall seed in the NCAA Hockey Tournament.

I grew up knowing that the Celtics would always win -- they were the model franchise of the NBA. But then Len Bias died, Reggie Lewis died and the suddenly the team that always had karma with them couldn't recover. I knew that the Red Sox would usually contend, but would never play their best baseball when it truly mattered. The Browns of the late eighties were great, but lost three times to Denver in Championship Games (the Drive, the Fumble, and the Blowout), and never recovered, ultimately getting uprooted by their money-grubbing owner and moved to Baltimore. Since their 1999 reincarnation they've been the model franchise for futility. Things have been so bad in Cleveland that those losses to Denver have actually become good memories for me -- at least they were playing games that mattered back then.

But now all of that is being turned upside down. Not only success on the field, but likable guys off the field who do and say the right things and generally make you feel good about cheering for them. Teams with organizational philosophies that make sense. Guys taking smaller contracts to stay in good situations. Players giving huge sums of money to charities. Owners that care about their communities. Hockey players finishing their college degrees. It is fun to see.

Does any of this really matter in the grand scheme of things? Probably not. But, there is something to be said about the ability for something that really has no relevance in *real life* taking you away from the stresses of *real life* for a couple of hours a week. Some studies suggest that people who are completely over the top with their fandom are not doing themselves any favors, so like most fun things in life, you need to keep it in moderation. But I just heard of a study from the Kansas University which suggests that cheering for your favorite team can actually reduce stress. So, as long as you keep the rest of your priorities in line, that 3 hour break from reality can be a pretty good thing. And lately, my teams have turned all of my preconceived notions about their roles in the sports world upside down, and the results have been an awful lot of fun.

Of course, the Bruins are still terrible, so I've still got a link to my old reality.

One Old Dog

Check out the header... had to update Aiko's age as yesterday was her 13th birthday. She's not as young as she used to be (who is?), she seems to be suffering from dementia and doesn't get around like she once could. The 'selective hearing' now seems to be engaged full-time and her sniffer seems to be letting her down, but all in all, she's doing pretty well for 91 years old. Aiko celebrated the big day with extra cookies from the kids and a day off from her house chores. It's pretty funny -- she has always been a sweet dog, but just a little high maintenance. But the older she's gotten, the lesser the maintenance, and now that she spends much of her day sleeping outside or next to me in my office, she's really become a great dog. She's very good with the kids and has finally learned how to sit and be petted (it only took about 11.5 years to teach her that one).

The odd thing about Aiko's age is how it affects my perception of my own existence. I got her as a puppy just before my 25th birthday, and in no way was I prepared for puppyhood. She barked, chewed walls, chewed furniture, turned my apartment into her own personal poop and vomit field and constantly deprived me of sleep. Of course, I was also 25 and single and spending a good deal more time out of the house than she would have liked, so she was probably acting out a little bit. There were quite a few times in that first year that I thought I wouldn't be able to keep her... it didn't seem fair to either of us, and many aspects of dog ownership weren't as much fun as expected. I have not read Marley and Me, but from what I've heard about it, I don't need to. I'm pretty sure I could go toe to toe with John Grogan on bad dog stories for days on end... I just wish I had thought of the book idea first. I remember telling my mom that Labs often live past 15 years old, and if that happened, that would mean that Aiko and I would still be together when I hit 40. Forty seemed a long way away.

It is now 13 years later and 40 doesn't seem too far away any more. At the same time, 25 doesn't seem as long ago as it actually was. I can't say I feel nearly as old as I thought I would when I thought of this age back then, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. It's tough to tell whether Aiko will still be with me to celebrate the big 4-0, but despite the challenges, she's been a pretty good companion. I'm glad/happy/proud that I didn't give up in that first year -- I think making it through that was a good character builder. And, not that you would draw any real parallels between the two, I do think having a dog helped be to be somewhat prepared for life as a parent. Dogs never really mature past the needy one year old stage, but having someone relying on you, challenging you and giving back pretty much unconditional love in return is very much on par with my take on parenting. Aiko has been a constant through a time in life with lots of changes in relationships, friendships, cities, apartments, houses and now kids, and I'm glad she came along for the ride. Happy Birthday, Ike!