Yesterday I sat at the Piper's Kilt watching the football games. To the left of me were three grown men wearing Giants jerseys. Don't get me started on grown men wearing jerseys, as that's a whole other issue I have. During the course of the game they rooted and cheered when the Giants did something good, but they also did something that I am starting to believe is strictly a New York fan thing. They rooted for penalties. Not when penalties happened, but on every single incompletion Manning threw they screamed there should have been some sort of penalty. Every time Bradshaw or Jacobs ran for now gain, they wanted a face mask. Every time their lineman just missed a sack, they screamed they were held. After the game, I made an obnoxious comment about how if they stayed they would see me cheer my team on, but at no point would they hear me scream for a penalty. To me that is chicken shit.
I think this all started in 1996. The Yankees were playing the Baltimore Orioles in game one of the American League Championship. Derek Jeter hit a fly ball to right field and as the right fielder was backing up to the wall to catch it, a 12-year-old boy reached over and snatched the ball. The umpire, standing only a few feet away ruled it a home run. The hit tied the score and the Yanks eventually won in the 11th. What if this hadn't had happened. What if the batter was called out, as he should have been and the Yanks lost. Most times the team that wins game one wins the series. Winning game one on the road and the odds increase even more. So that game, which might have looked insignificant at the time was probably the catalyst for the series. The Orioles never looked the same and the Yanks took full advantage. In the media the kid was praised and Yankees fans loved it. They yelled about home field advantage and how they are the best fans in the world. It was ironic, because you hadn't heard a peep from them since 1981 before that year. They went on to one of the best runs in baseball history, but it all started, because of that play. The thing that always got me angry was that there was a feeling of entitlement that was going around.
During this stretch, I got more abuse than you can imagine. Being a Red Sox fan it was par for the course, but this sometimes got brutal. The only thing that saved me in the sports world was the Broncos winning two consecutive Super Bowls in the late 90's. Even then Giants fans gave me shit about 1986 and Jets fans muttered some silliness about Gang Green, who didn't win anything.
As the years have gone on every NY team has been thrown in my face and aside from the Yankees, the reality is they have all pretty much sucked. The Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl and while I am not a Pats fan, I can't help but feel that the stars were aligned on that night, because everything leading up to that spelled doom for the Giants. The Jets have done nothing, the Mets have made one World Series and got smoked by the Yankees. The Knicks, Rangers and Islanders have all languished in mediocrity, but somehow their fans all talk shit.
While I agree that the bottom line is championships, winning during the season should count for something. When my Broncos made the playoffs, Jets fan were convinced their team was better. How can you be better when my team beat you and we're still playing. This week the Broncos won an incredible game against the Steelers. What do Jets fans come back with? Let's see if you can beat New England! So we make the playoffs, you don't. We win our first game, you're watching on TV. We have a chance to be one game from the AFC championship and you guys are thinking about your draft picks. How was that a better season. Your QB has a lifetime winning pct almost identical to Tebow in the regular season and if you include the playoffs, but he's serviceable and ours sucks. The arguments are laughable.
Next weekend there will be a game between the Giants and Packer and another between the Broncos and Patriots. I can guarantee you there will be good and bad plays in both. There will be good and bad calls in both. There will be lots of yelling and lots of cheering, but I can also guarantee one other thing. Every ball that isn't caught will be a penalty in the eyes of Giants fans. Every near sack will be a hold. Every single time a play doesn't go the Giants way, it will be a conspiracy and when my team experiences the same fate, I will frown and then move on. There will be no yelling or screaming. I won't say the refs cost me the game. I won't say the fix is in. I'll also be wearing big boy clothing and not adorning a Jersey with some other grown mans name on it. I'm a fan, but it's a sport, and while I'm obsessed with the game, I find it hard to worship a man who makes millions of dollars to do what I'd give ten years of my life to be able to do every weekend with my friends.
I think this all started in 1996. The Yankees were playing the Baltimore Orioles in game one of the American League Championship. Derek Jeter hit a fly ball to right field and as the right fielder was backing up to the wall to catch it, a 12-year-old boy reached over and snatched the ball. The umpire, standing only a few feet away ruled it a home run. The hit tied the score and the Yanks eventually won in the 11th. What if this hadn't had happened. What if the batter was called out, as he should have been and the Yanks lost. Most times the team that wins game one wins the series. Winning game one on the road and the odds increase even more. So that game, which might have looked insignificant at the time was probably the catalyst for the series. The Orioles never looked the same and the Yanks took full advantage. In the media the kid was praised and Yankees fans loved it. They yelled about home field advantage and how they are the best fans in the world. It was ironic, because you hadn't heard a peep from them since 1981 before that year. They went on to one of the best runs in baseball history, but it all started, because of that play. The thing that always got me angry was that there was a feeling of entitlement that was going around.
During this stretch, I got more abuse than you can imagine. Being a Red Sox fan it was par for the course, but this sometimes got brutal. The only thing that saved me in the sports world was the Broncos winning two consecutive Super Bowls in the late 90's. Even then Giants fans gave me shit about 1986 and Jets fans muttered some silliness about Gang Green, who didn't win anything.
As the years have gone on every NY team has been thrown in my face and aside from the Yankees, the reality is they have all pretty much sucked. The Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl and while I am not a Pats fan, I can't help but feel that the stars were aligned on that night, because everything leading up to that spelled doom for the Giants. The Jets have done nothing, the Mets have made one World Series and got smoked by the Yankees. The Knicks, Rangers and Islanders have all languished in mediocrity, but somehow their fans all talk shit.
While I agree that the bottom line is championships, winning during the season should count for something. When my Broncos made the playoffs, Jets fan were convinced their team was better. How can you be better when my team beat you and we're still playing. This week the Broncos won an incredible game against the Steelers. What do Jets fans come back with? Let's see if you can beat New England! So we make the playoffs, you don't. We win our first game, you're watching on TV. We have a chance to be one game from the AFC championship and you guys are thinking about your draft picks. How was that a better season. Your QB has a lifetime winning pct almost identical to Tebow in the regular season and if you include the playoffs, but he's serviceable and ours sucks. The arguments are laughable.
Next weekend there will be a game between the Giants and Packer and another between the Broncos and Patriots. I can guarantee you there will be good and bad plays in both. There will be good and bad calls in both. There will be lots of yelling and lots of cheering, but I can also guarantee one other thing. Every ball that isn't caught will be a penalty in the eyes of Giants fans. Every near sack will be a hold. Every single time a play doesn't go the Giants way, it will be a conspiracy and when my team experiences the same fate, I will frown and then move on. There will be no yelling or screaming. I won't say the refs cost me the game. I won't say the fix is in. I'll also be wearing big boy clothing and not adorning a Jersey with some other grown mans name on it. I'm a fan, but it's a sport, and while I'm obsessed with the game, I find it hard to worship a man who makes millions of dollars to do what I'd give ten years of my life to be able to do every weekend with my friends.
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