Well, I could discuss the devastation from Hurricane Ike, or the market troubles this morning, or the turmoil my personal life seems to want to permanently become.
Nah. Let's talk about something a little less stressful. Or maybe more stressful. I guess it depends on your point of view.
We in the Seattle area have been living under a huge black cloud lately. No, I'm not talking about the weather, although we have days like that too.
I'm talking about.......our local sports teams.
We are like a city cursed. If I believe such a Deity existed, I would be sending up my burnt offerings right now to the God Of Sports Success. Because if such a Deity did exist, He/She/It would most certainly be PISSED at Seattle.
Quite simply, the fans of the local teams have had very very little to celebrate in many years. Where to start.....?
How about the Mariners, our baseball team? We are about to become one of the biggest jokes in baseball history - the first team ever to have a $100 million plus payroll and lose 100 games. They play 162 in a season, so to lose 100 you can only win 62 at the most. 62-100 is not any one's idea of success. And they could win less than that even.
They have had a few decent years. 1995 sticks in the mind of any true fan - they came from behind to make the playoffs, then won a thrilling series against the New York Yankees. Sadly, that seemed to use up what magic they had that year, as an exhausted M's squad then lost to Cleveland in the next round.
In 2001 they tied a record for most wins EVER in the regular season, only to get knocked out of the playoffs by the New York Yankees. Paybacks are a bitch. They have never even played in the World Series, much less won it.
Since then they have gone down hill dramatically. This will be their seventh straight season of not making the playoffs, and next year doesn't look too promising either.
Then there is the Seahawks. When Mike Holmgren took over as head coach almost 10 years ago, I felt certain he would guide us to a championship - especially if you'd have told me then that he would be here for 10 seasons.
Well, he did get us to the Promised Land once - we went to the Super Bowl back in 2005. Sadly, because of some poor play and a few questionable penalties, we lost that game. It was our first visit to the Super Bowl, and we have never been back since. Now this year they are plagued with injuries, and have lost their first two games, including one they were heavily favored to win.
The last men's professional championship this town ever saw was in 1979 when the Seattle Supersonics won it all, and induced pandemonium in this city.
Flash forward to 2008 and they don't even play in this city anymore, since a robber baron named Clay Bennett bought them and moved them halfway across the country. This one hurts way too much still, so I'll leave it at that.
The Seattle Storm did win a women's basketball championship a few years back, but sadly for them they still struggle for recognition in a pro sports world dominated by the men's sports. They have a decent team this year, but another championship seems unlikely since their star player is injured.
Even our college teams suck. I have been a Washington Huskies fan for as long as I can remember, and they are on their 4th or 5th lousy losing season in a row. It's about to cost their head coach his job. To be fair to them, they did TIE for the championship back in 1991 - this was before they had a system to allow the top two teams to play each other. Their basketball team has alternated between awful and decent, but since the glamour recruits never want to seem to come to Seattle it seems unlikely a championship will ever come from them.
And don't even get me started on the Washington State Cougars. I can sort of grudgingly root for them IF they aren't playing the Huskies, but their football team could be even worse then ours and if the glamour basketball recruits don't want to come to Seattle they sure as HELL don't want to play in tiny farming/college town Pullman.
I'm 42 years old. I've seen one major championship in my lifetime, plus a tie and one from a team nobody seems to care about. It feels unlikely I will ever see another at this point, even if I live another 42 years.
What sort of burnt offering does The Deity Of Sports Championships prefer?
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3 comments:
i think they prefer baseballs. just a random thought.
Old Air Jordans. Nice, ripe ones.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. Imagine growing up in Chicago in the fifties and sixties. Then imagine moving away in 1984, only to see the Cubs almost make the World Series, and the Bulls start some guy named Michael. Let's not forget the mighty Super Bowl Shuffle Bears. I tried really hard not to take it personally, but there you have it. I feel your pain.
Seattle has a baseball team? Who knew!?
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