With the World Series just around the corner, one question continues to trend:
“Who are you rooting for? Giants or Rangers?”
This question is asked every year to all of those who lost their team along the way. Sometimes it is just a flip of the coin, but sometimes people have a surprise answer. Sometimes that team is in their, “Emotional 5.”
After our hometown/home grown favourite team, there is a story behind why we like the other teams we do. Some of these stories are quite interesting, and can reveal a lot about a person’s childhood. These teams are our “Emotional 5.”
I had forgotten many parts of the stories that surrounded my “Emotional 5” until I started to write them out. Some of these have their own tangents from which I could go on about ad finitum.
Disclaimer: These teams in my “Emotional 5” are not recently adopted ones, but ones rooted to a part of my childhood. So, fellow Jays fans you must excuse the exemption of the Phillies from my list, as I do not have a story to connect myself to the Phillies, and not enough time has passed since the Halladay trade for them to yet crack my list.
I encourage everyone to tell the story how of you became connected to certain teams in the MLB outside of your hometown favourite. It will certainly surprise and entertain the listener, and likely yourself as well.
In ascending order of favourites, here are my teams, and this is my story.
After the Jays: Rounding Out My Own, “Emotional 5:”
“The ‘Generations of People Live Long Satisfying Lives Without You Winning A World Series Team” - Chicago Cubs:
If you have previously read my long winded banter (see below), you know that underdog teams hold a special place near to my heart. 102 years and counting without a Championship allows the Cubbies to make my list on sheer “I feel sorry for you in the same way I get teary eyed when watching the ‘Toronto Humane Society Fundraiser’ infomercial every Saturday morning” compassion alone.
There is an element of mysticism that surrounds teams that have either sucked, or fallen on the “bag of flaming dog shit” luck that teams like the Cubs have for so many years. Thanks Steve Bartman for keeping the hopes and dreams of Century old Cubs fans crushed for so long!
Disclaimer: I am embarrassed to say that this space on my emotional rooting list was not always held by the Cubs. It was once occupied by the Boston Red Sox until 2004. Being a Jays fan, saying this is blasphemous, I know. But, I have my reasons which I will now defend to avoid the “Chrysalids-like Fringes reserved for banished Jays fans”:
I was brought up in a baseball loving household, and as a result, my dad taught me to hate all of the Yankees from a very young age (notable exemption: Bernie Williams). I remember one time sitting with him on the couch watching a game, and he began to tell me several stories about baseball past.
As he spoke, I would gaze into my father’s beard, listening to every word coming out of it. I listened with the type of captivation previously reserved only for my yearly visits to Santa’s knee to get reassurance on my good behaviour for the year that had passed.
Of these stories, the one which stuck the most was, “The Curse of the Bambino.” Now, when you are 5 you believe ghosts not only exist, but exist in your room. So for years I believed The Babe would come out of my closet to curse/forever haunt me. This story permanently sealed my everlasting hate for the Yankees. As well, it made me deathly scared of John Goodman for his on-screen role as “The Babe” or as I then liked to call him, “Paranormal Child Frightening Baseball Player Ghost.” Up until 2004, once the Jays were out of contention, I shifted my support to the Sox in order to hope for the end of the curse. Therefore, young baseball fans everywhere could finally sleep easy at night knowing the Bambinos evil reign was over.
Once the Sox won it all, they took their rightful place in my baseball doghouse. I now spend my days saying how overrated Josh Beckett is, and how Kevin Youkilis looks like a complete idiot in the batter’s box. All is right in the world again.
Go Cubs!
“The Gift I Was Tricked Into Believing Was From The Hall of Fame” –Texas Rangers/Houston Astros:
This story of emotional attachment is rooted back to Christmas 1990 or 1991. In order to get the year correct, it would require much rummaging on my part through my parents homemade VHS collection in order to find the recorded history of this Christmas. A task I begrudgingly will have to do in 2 months time regardless.
On this particular video my dad is recording my brother and I going back and forth showing the camera the presents that Santa had given to us. As a 3-4 year old my eyes light up with every gift I was showing the camera, “Look Dad, Hot Wheels! Look Dad, Ninja Turtles! Look Dad, a Dick Tracey Car!” My brother would show his gifts with far less enthusiasm. He obviously knew the Santa jig was up, but he played along for my sake.
One gift in particular stuck with me as he held it up to the camera, and said, “Look Dad, A Nolan Ryan Autographed Ball. It is plated: 5000 Strikeouts.”
For some reason, I always kept that ball, and his description of it, in the back of my mind. The only issue was that, like a bad game of broken telephone, I had misinterpreted what my brother had said. “Wow, my brother has Nolan Ryan’s 5000th Strikeout ball! He has the best baseball collection ever!” Being young and full of hope, everyone in the family played along with me for a few years. After all, older brothers enjoy being the idol to their younger siblings. The truth was, this ball was simply autographed by Nolan Ryan in the year he rung up his 5000 Strikeout. Looking back now, I ask myself, “Why on Earth would I believe that something belonging in Cooperstown, or in Ryan’s own personal collection, actually be held in an old china cabinet in Barrie, Ontario?” I don’t know, but I did.
And I thought Ryan was the best ever.
And I listened to the stories about him.
And I loved the teams he played for.
And I stared endlessly at that ball....Go Rangers! Go Astros!
‘Well, I Got All of These Hand-Me-Downs, I Might As Well Support Them!” – Florida Marlins
My emotional connection to the Florida Marlins is footnoted by my near and dear Blue Jays ’92 World Series victory. The story, and how I became a fan, was a case of perfect timing.
We were driving down the East Coast on a family trip to Florida in March of 1993. If you have time, look up the weather in the Eastern United States in March of 1993, More specifically, the 12th and 13th. You will quickly learn that it was regarded as, “The Storm of the Century,” or “The ‘93 Superstorm,” and that no one in their right mind should or would drive through it. Well, we did. As a result of the trip, to this day I regard the 1992 Buick Regal as the most winter-equipped car ever created.
After the storm cleared, we were going to spend a few days in Georgia to visit family friends. There was only one problem, my brother was wearing a Jays hat and wind breaker, and we were going to Atlanta where the Jays had just shit stomped them the previous fall.
The city was still bitter, so for his safety, we had to put these items in the trunk and purchase some new threads. Being the early 90’s pastel colours were the quote-unquote “shit.” And, there was a new team around looking for supporters. We went off to the mall, and replaced his Jays hat and wind breaker with ones from the new team in town, the Florida Marlins. Fast-forward four years and a few growth spurts later. It is 1997, I’m roughly my brother’s size from 1993, and the Marlins have taken the Wild Card and are looking dangerous. I become a fan not as much out of wanting to be one, but more out of necessity for a wind-breaker. After all, It’s Barrie, it’s fall, and it’s cold. The combination of these factors meant I was becoming a fan, and I was wearing that sweet Marlin Teal.
Turns out my Marlins swag started to turn heads in class and on the playground. The team was poised to win their first World Series, and did so in a thrilling 7 games on an Edgar Renteria extra-innings single. I saw the whole thing while done up in full Marlins “Starter” apparel.
Huge Win!
Their first Canadian super fan was born!
Go Marlins!
P.S. (Scott Stapp, please don’t ever let us hear this song again. You'll ruin everything I love about this team).
“Because That’s What Happens When You Get A TV In Your Room” – Atlanta Braves
There was a time in every Canadian baseball fans life that an American from the South could never quite relate to. That time, was when we first got the Turner Broadcasting Network (It will always be TBS, never Peachtree).
I remember when we used to get free previews of TBS every long weekend over the summer months. Getting TBS symbolized fun, and freedom from school. It represented a time to spend every moment of the day outdoors, and every night watching Atlanta Braves baseball after your own game.
After teasing us with these free previews, TBS was finally made available to Canada. I convinced my parents to order it, so that I could follow the Braves, and forever keep that feeling brought over me during those summer long weekends. At the same time as they ordered it, I saved up all of my pennies to buy myself a TV for my room so that I could watch. After months and months of saving, I finally bought the “Cadillac of TV’s,” a 13 inch Goldstar tube television. My dad fought the cable wiring through the ceiling for a whole afternoon to get a feed set-up in my room (my parents have a thing about exposed wires). Once he had completed his handy work, I was set to go. I could now sit on my bed and watch all of the Atlanta Braves baseball I wanted!
Click!
I saw the rise of stars like the Jones’ Chipper and Andrew.
Click!
I saw the power swinging catcher Javy Lopez hit another jack!
Click!
I saw the former Jay, Fred “Crime Dog” McGriff drive in Ryan Klesko and David Justice! and of course...
Click!
I saw the 3-headed pitching monster of “Mad Dog” Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine.
It’s for the memories I still have of that feeling you get summertime, and for the nights spent lounging in my room after a hard fought 6 innings of little league, that I hold the Atlanta Braves so close to my heart, and at the top of my “Emotional 5.”
Go Braves!
Tell'em Your Story
Now, as we the World Series starts up, think long and hard about your answer to the question. Is there a reason why you chose the team you did? Are they a part of your own “Emotional 5?”
If so, I’m sure that at that moment when you realize the answer, you will chuckle to yourself and smile.
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