About the Author
More By Onthemarkblog
Other recent voters
My name is Mark and I am a Sport’s Pessimist:
| 14
|
I am a sports pessimist, my father is a sports pessimist and his father is a sports pessimist. We all love our sports teams in Minnesota just as much (if not more) than any other fan in Minnesota, but I feel that in Minnesota, the only way to truly enjoy our sports teams is to become a Sports Pessimist.
Through my life I have gotten myself psyched up and excited for big games (and regular games) and almost every time I have been let down.
Last year, after years of agony I finally decided to become a Sports Pessimist. I now enjoy our sports teams more than I ever had. I can watch a game and I either walk away thrilled or I can walk away laughing. As a pessimist there are 2 outcomes. 1) If we win it is fun and I enjoy it a lot 2) If we lose, it is expected and it doesn’t ruin my day, week or year
I was a wide-eyed bushy tailed youngster. I would wear my jerseys around the house and pretend I was Kevin Garnett, Brad Radke and Randy Moss. I became a die-hard sports fan starting in 1996. It was then that I became the Sports Encyclopedia that I am today. Since that day here is what I have had to encounter:
Minnesota Vikings:
Then: The Vikings went 15-1 in 1998. Red McCombs had just bought the team and finally every game was on TV. Of course, I worked myself up and got so excited for the NFC Championship Game. Gary Anderson missed, we lost and I was crushed. Same thing happened in 2000. I was so excited and of course we faced a 41-0 in New York. Then there was this:
Now: I know that we are a joke. I laugh at the Love Boat, Mike Tice’s scalping and us messing up draft after draft after draft. I mock Brad Childress’ “Ums” and know that each week we will find an interesting way to not score. I am dumbfounded when other teams pass on 3rd-and-long because Childress has taught me that you can only call a draw.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
Then: Playoff Appearance… Playoffs Exit. That it was we sat through for seven years. There were highs such as being in person when we finally beat the Bulls and making a Western Conference Final Appearance. That team could’ve won the conference and I got so excited. They blew their shot and I was crushed.
Now: I just laugh at every move we make. Nothing surprises me. We love signing crappy players to huge contracts, trading with the Celtics and losing 4th Quarter leads. I go to games still, and I am starting to think I should just leave at the end of the 3rd Quarter.
Minnesota Wild:
Then: There really was no then, or at least no negative then. The Wild haven’t been around that long and their first playoff run was one of the most amazing Sports Experiences I have ever seen. I stayed up for the late west coast games and watched Andrew Brunette beat the Avalanche and Darby Hendrickson beat the Canucks. That was awesome
Now: Not much bad as they still play well with nothing
Minnesota Gophers:
Then: Northwestern beats us on a Hail Mary to Sam Simmons. Lost to Michigan after being up 35-7 in the 4th. Lost to Wisconsin after being up by 10 with 2:00 to play. Lost to Texas Tech after being up by 31 going into the 4th Quarter. I was crushed by all of them. I sat quiet and motionless after we lost that game to Wisconsin.
Now: We lose to Northwestern for homecoming, and I predict a 4 game losing streak. That streak has now reached 3 and is nearing 4. We just blew a 21-7 halftime lead to the Badgers, but it didn’t ruin my night. I just sat back and laughed at another way the Gophers could find to lose a game. This one included 2 safeties, a fumbled kick-off and bad defense.
Minnesota Twins:
Then: Finally there are the Twins. This is my favorite team. I went to a ton of games when there were only 9,000 people who went. I loved the days of Paul Molitor, Marty Cordova, Benj Sampson and Dan Serafini. The day the Twins entered the playoffs for the first time since 1991 I got to go to the games. The sound the Dome made gave me chills. The next year, when we played the Yankees I nearly lost it when we blew a 12th inning lead. It used to kill me.
Now: I didn’t expect us to beat the White Sox. I just don’t expect us to do well. It is great; because when we do well I get excited. It is a great feeling. We sign washed-up veterans who have no shot of being good (Rondell White, Mike Lamb) and make bad trades. But I love them!
So Please Join Me! Be a Spots Pessimist. It is the right thing to do to make you feel better about being a Minnesota Sports Fan!
