A Conundrum
One thing that I did notice during my travels was a strange little quirk that assails those of us (well, me, at least) who are not terribly big sports fans. Or possibly even those who are big sports fans.
I assume that most people, like me, have a team. They may follow it obsessively, or just pick it so they can have one (which is a lot like religion, wah wah wah). Me? I'm a "honey, whats my team again?" guy.
I don't own any paraphernalia for any of the teams to which I claim nominal allegiances. I don't have a Leafs jersey or a Mets cap or any acknowledgment of the existence of the Blue Jays.
But still, they're mine, right? I'm in (or at least near) those tribes. Cynra & I often discuss going to see a game (right before we tsk at the ticket prices).
Saturday night, as everyone knows, is hockey night in Canada. This past Saturday saw the Canadiens and the Senators locked in a mortal battle to the end of the third period (or possibly overtime).
And, man, that was a fight. Not the game itself, although I'm sure both teams put on a strong accounting, blah glah flah mah. No, I kinda had to pick one to cheer against.
Now, if it had been a Yank team, it would have been easier. You can cheer for the Habs against an American team. Ditto for the Sens.
But against each other? That's more difficult. The Habs are the fucking devil, right? Evil incarnate. The embodiment (at least for the Leafs Nation) of everything bad in the universe. A sports rivalry that dates back decades, almost to the birth of the sport! There's no quarter given, no love lost.
But the Senators? Oh, the Senators. How they vex us. A thorn in our paw. No, not our paw. A thorn stuck in our eyes, they make us howl! How dare they, with their no hustle russians, skate lazily to the brink of drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup while we sit, defeated and enraged, on the sidelines.
So, yeah, when the Habs play the Sens, who do you cheer for? Who do you root for? All the metaphors I can think of are terribly inappropriate (and usually end up "Stalin").
Once again: Not even a sports fan. But you understand this conundrum, right?
I assume that most people, like me, have a team. They may follow it obsessively, or just pick it so they can have one (which is a lot like religion, wah wah wah). Me? I'm a "honey, whats my team again?" guy.
I don't own any paraphernalia for any of the teams to which I claim nominal allegiances. I don't have a Leafs jersey or a Mets cap or any acknowledgment of the existence of the Blue Jays.
But still, they're mine, right? I'm in (or at least near) those tribes. Cynra & I often discuss going to see a game (right before we tsk at the ticket prices).
Saturday night, as everyone knows, is hockey night in Canada. This past Saturday saw the Canadiens and the Senators locked in a mortal battle to the end of the third period (or possibly overtime).
And, man, that was a fight. Not the game itself, although I'm sure both teams put on a strong accounting, blah glah flah mah. No, I kinda had to pick one to cheer against.
Now, if it had been a Yank team, it would have been easier. You can cheer for the Habs against an American team. Ditto for the Sens.
But against each other? That's more difficult. The Habs are the fucking devil, right? Evil incarnate. The embodiment (at least for the Leafs Nation) of everything bad in the universe. A sports rivalry that dates back decades, almost to the birth of the sport! There's no quarter given, no love lost.
But the Senators? Oh, the Senators. How they vex us. A thorn in our paw. No, not our paw. A thorn stuck in our eyes, they make us howl! How dare they, with their no hustle russians, skate lazily to the brink of drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup while we sit, defeated and enraged, on the sidelines.
So, yeah, when the Habs play the Sens, who do you cheer for? Who do you root for? All the metaphors I can think of are terribly inappropriate (and usually end up "Stalin").
Once again: Not even a sports fan. But you understand this conundrum, right?