The More Things Change…
October 3, 2008Cavaliers Building a Farm System?
October 3, 2008
I know better. This is my mantra when it comes to watching sporting events. Particularly, this is my mantra when watching big, important sporting events like playoffs. I know better than to think that sitting in a certain seat on my couch makes a difference. I know better than to think that I can make a difference on the court or in the field of play by wearing a specific shirt or putting said shirt on at a specific time. I know better than to think that the latest Buckeyes victory came as a result of the tasty taco dip that I made and put in the crock pot a few hours before the game started. Yet still, I sometimes go ahead and act like I am superstitious even though I constantly tell myself that I am not.
I know there are a lot of you out there who agree with me that being superstitious is dumb. There is just no way, even in a world where certain philosophies think that butterflies flapping their wings in Asian countries around the world cause storms elsewhere, that changing my shirt in the suburbs of Cleveland will have any influence on LeBron James’ ability to knock down clutch free throws. The seat I am sitting in on my couch will have absolutely no effect on the game being played miles away.
Yet still, it didn’t stop me from changing seats throughout the 1999 MLB playoffs as the Indians dropped three straight to the Red Sox. Move one seat to the left when Dave Burba goes down injured in game 3. Move two seats right when Bartolo Colon chokes away game four on the way to a 23-7 loss in Fenway park. Make a whole new side dish before game five as Pedro Martinez dominates his way to the ALCS, because the taco dip ain’t working.
And still, at the end of a very long long day, I truly don’t believe in superstitions. Yet, for some reason, I allow myself to get caught up in fake rituals and habits just to kind of hedge my bets. I will be watching Monday Night Football next week against the Giants without my Kellen Winslow jersey on because the Browns beat the Bengals last week and I wasn’t wearing it. Forget the fact that the defending Super Bowl champions look like one of the top two or three teams in the NFC this season. Forget the fact that the Giants did the impossible by embarrassing the Browns during preseason when it wasn’t supposed to be possible to be embarrassed in meaningless action. Forget the fact that the Browns had trouble beating the Bengals last week with the ghost of Spergon Wynn playing quarterback. Nope, when and if the Browns lose on Monday night it will be because I am not wearing my K2 jersey, subsequently giving me fake permission to wear it the following week when the Browns play the Redskins.
And so it goes, I guess. I wonder if I will ever be able to talk myself into acting the way I truly believe. I wonder if I will ever be able to just watch sports without thinking that the butterfly effect has a pipeline from my living room to Cleveland’s various sports venues.
Probably not.
18 Comments
I’ve word different Browns apparel through each of the four weeks. My wife thinks I’m a lunatic, but that won’t stop me from wearing my track jacket again next week…
As long as Derek Anderson is our quarterback, I have to believe in superstition. It’s not going to be DA’s accuracy with the ball that’s going to win games…
hey i took my Winslow jersey off too last week and we won! It’s def the jersery
i dont wash my team apparel during their seasons.
if the tribe is losing a game my parents split up and watch the game in different rooms, and my mom wont admit it, but ive seen her put her finger on the opposing team’s pitcher (on the tv screen) as if to hex him.
yes, she is an immigrant.
…the ghost of Spergon Wynn playing quarterback – Now THAT’s funny!
My Braylon Edwards’ jersey is 0-5. I didn’t wear it last week and they won. It stays on the hanger next week.
I bought a #25 OSU jersey before the NC game against Florida. Wore the same one last year against LSU. Hasn’t brought me, the Buckeyes or Antonio Pittman much fortune!
I had a Lee Suggs jersey a couple years ago and when he was off the team and out of football I went and specially ordered a Gary Baxter jersey. So this year I decided on a throwback and my Metcalf jersey is 1-1. Maybe I should have bought #3 Anderson. That might have helped the team
BRANTLEY!! Trade looking really nice even though Bryson is done with elbow surgery….
Mark, that’s the greatest trio of mesh I’ve ever seen.
I was deciding between two jersey numbers in youth football one season. My dad said go with #54 because that will be Mike Junkin’s number. I think I had a better season.
My wife came home with a 12 pack of Sam Adams Oktoberfest on Game 5 of the ’07 ALCS against Boston. At the time, we were up 3 game to 1.
To this day, I still think my wife’s to blame for bringing Boston Brewed bear into our house during that series. We didn’t win another game after she came home with that….
Oh matt that is too funny. The prez of the backers club i go to here in Florida actually wore his browns t-shirt backwards last week because we’ve lost the first three with it worn right. i’ll be curious to see how he wears it Monday against the Giants. Which i hate to say but we could all watch the game nekkid and they will still get pumbled on national tv. Haven’t sported my jurevicious jersey yet, maybe it’s time i get it out. I thought maybe the infamous #19 would do us some good… nope.
My superstition is to get obnoxiously drunk during all sporting events. If my team is losing, I usually get more drunk. Seems to be working for me so far.
I understand the couch thing, even made my daughter move one day when she sat in ‘my’ place for a game. Doesn’t make the difference UNLESS a lot of us loosing ‘our’ seats on a given game day, then the scales start tipping against our team…. believe it.
Browns won last week because I wore my Cleveland Browns belt buckle!
Cathy where at in Florida? I need Browns fans!
I will always blame myself for the Indians losing the ALCS. I was on the road to Knoxville, TN during game one, so I didnt get to watch it and we lost. The next morning I drove up to Cleveland and watched game at the Jake (jumbotron), we won. In fact, I watched both games 3 and 4 in Ohios as well and we won. Unfortunately, I went back to TN missing games 5 and 6. I should have postponed my trip one day. Then the Tribe would have gone on to win the World Series.
I wish I knew how that fits in now. The Tribe started this past season abysmally and continued to play so after I moved to Ohio.