SO MUCH WINNING…

So much winning…

Uttered by Braves fans this week, as they won the World Series – again!  Every 26 years, like clockwork.

And while I am excited for Atlanta’s 2^nd title in something like 180 professional seasons – the Falcons, Hawks, and 2 hockey teams having never won, and major league soccer not being a real sport – I am also pondering the psychology of sports fans.

I was certain the Braves were going to lose, because they always have. Even the most optimistic among us fears for the milk carton to be empty, the other shoebox to explode, or that zit on prom night – whatever giant L descriptor you fancy.

As an aside, I quietly chanted “Go, Braves, Go”, fearing that “Let’s Go Bravos” would be seen as a political statement.

But we had extensive data to back up our feeling of impending doom, having rooted for the losing side repeatedly: The Confederacy was poised to win, until Pickett tore his ACL at Gettysburg; Betting heavily on the French, underestimating how much their crème sauced entrees would slow them down against the Indians; And loading up on Enron stock when it went below $1/share.

Perhaps my favorite moment of any WS is when the final out occurs, touching off the running, jumping and celebrating. Reminds me of a summer softball team I played for, when a game was washed out by a sudden storm, and the elation we felt being able to go to the tavern an hour earlier.

But for sports fans, winning means more than just winning:

It means validation – proving that our way of life is better than theirs.

It means relief – allowing us to forget the decades worth of heartbreaking outcomes. Or maybe all the drinking during the game does that.

It means vindication – even with a Republican Governor we were able to triumph.

And for sports fans, the rituals frequently mean more than the game itself:

The winner of the Wisconsin-Minnesota game receives ‘Paul Bunyan’s Ax’, which is then used to clear cut hundreds of acres of the loser’s forests.

Army fans would steal the Navy goat each year before their big game. The tradition ended when the kidnapper actually married the goat and they sent their offspring to the Naval Academy.

Multiple rivalries decide which school gets to visit the all-you-can-eat buffet for the next year. Big contributor to the obesity problem in this country…

But these are nothing compared to player superstitions/customs:

A player who felt ‘disrespected’ by a  close inside pitch, had the opposing pitcher’s family kidnapped in retaliation. He was intentionally walked for the next 4 seasons until the family was returned.

While it is disgusting to watch baseball players spit throughout the game, this actually began as a way to taunt the opposing team by spelling out insults. Sunflower seeds were later added, and they are used to draw obscene depictions of opposing players and their wives.

And while many of us think the “chest thump, point to the heavens” is a shout out to God, for NBA players it is a tribute to the Mothers of their children, and for baseball players, a sign to their agent to solicit free agency offers.

But more than anything, the Braves title made me wonder: Is being a fan worth it? Worth all the agony, anxiety, and frustration?  Worth the 26 years of waiting?

 Not totally sure – – – but I got a really cool World Series Champion T-shirt.

Hopefully it still fits me in 2047…

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TO ENHANCE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THIS POST, PAIR IT WITH THE FOLLOWING SONGS:

Preparing to Fly   The Waterboys

“I’m preparing to fly
under my own steam
I’m preparing to fly
into a dream

I’m in love all over again, I’m head over heels
I can’t even begin to tell you how it feels
She lives on a rock, surrounded by light
She’s young and she’s wild, and she’s treating me right

I shed some light, I change my address
I haven’t felt so great, since I first went west
I’ve got brilliant intentions, unthinkable plans
I’ve got sparks and electric shocks, just exploding from my hands

I’m back in the saddle, I’m out in the clear
I got no regrets, I’ve got nothing to fear
I’ve battled my demons, come out on top
I’m gonna love you as hard as I can, never gonna stop

I’m preparing to fly
under my own steam
I’m preparing to fly
into a dream”

High Ticket Attractions  The New Pornographers

“You can imagine all the factions
That form around high ticket attractions
High on the spirit, hopped up and mystic
After the flame baptism you’re fearless

You know the science of falling, You have your calling
You know the song

The Magna Carta, it’s underwater, We left it there for the sons and the daughters
One day they’ll find it; they’ll be reminded, When we live undersea like we ought to

Didn’t know flying from falling, Clueless the poor thing
Sad to report, Didn’t know losing from learning
Wheels were turning
You know the song

You feel the suction, the call to action, That will surround high ticket attractions
You want to travel, want to unravel, Take the experience to the next level

With no respect for the warning, The violence of yearning
Defiance of learning, In protected encryption
The voice of addiction. You know the song

You can imagine all the factions
That form around high ticket attractions
Just like the Mayans took all their science
And dumped it all in the drink and went silent

This thing could go two ways
Won’t be another exit for days
So pack a small suitcase
Anything else can be easily replaced

Fallin’ & Flyin’   Jeff Bridges

I was goin’ where I shouldn’t go, Seein’ who I shouldn’t see
Doin’ what I shouldn’t do, Bein’ who I shouldn’t be

A little voice told me it’s all wrong, Another voice told me it’s all right
I used to think that I was strong, But lately I just lost the time

I got tired of bein’ good, Startin’ missin’ that old feelin’ free
Stopped actin’ like I thought I should, Went on back to bein’ me

I never meant to hurt no one, I just had to have my way
If there’s such a thing as too much fun, This must be the price to pay

Never see it comin’ till it’s gone, It all happens for a reason
Even when it’s wrong, Especially when it’s wrong

It’s funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’
For a little while
Funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’
For a little while

Young At Heart  Frank Sinatra

“Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you’re young at heart
For it’s hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you’re young at heart

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart or on it’s way

Don’t you know that it’s worth every treasure on earth
For as rich as you are, it’s much better by far
To be young at heart

And if you should survive to a 105
Look at all you’ll derive out of being alive
And here is the best part, you’ve had a head start
If you are among the very young at heart”

“Willy Wonka: Charlie, don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted.
Charlie: What happened?
Willy Wonka: He lived happily ever after.”