TEAM AFFILIATION AND WHAT CAN BE HAD DUE TO IT

  

by Meredith Linden

Knowing people in the same family who like different baseball teams with equal passion made me wonder.  What is it that determines a person’s team affinity and/or loyalty?  I grew up in Houston, hence my affiliation with the Astros buddy program at a young age.  In middle school, I enjoyed watching the Oilers play every weekend in the fall.  I was the only one in the house who watched any sports, and I’m not sure where I acquired the taste. Perhaps it was my athletic status at that time. Moving to Philadelphia didn’t kill my athleticism but it seemed to negatively affect my major league sports interest.

By the time I got to college, I was more interested in basketball and the Rockets didn’t exactly call out to me.  I followed college football, being in Texas and all, but for major leagues, I had to find a new team.  It was during the basketball playoffs in my junior year.  The Pistons were playing the Celtics.  I didn’t like the Celtics.  My only reasons were I didn’t like the looks of Larry Bird and their uniforms were ugly.  Oh, and they were top dogs.  I liked Isaiah Thomas and Detroit was the underdog.

I never really settled on a basketball favorite until I came to Sacramento and met up with Kings fans.  They were a relatively new team to Sacramento and the men in my life seemed to love them.  But they sucked, so I avoided any affiliation.

It was during the Loma Prieta quake, which I felt in my living room, that I began a MLB affiliation. I got pretty hyped up for some reason over the World Series and somehow landed on the Giants, feeling the Oakland A’s a bit inferior.  It was just a feeling I had.

I think most people attach themselves to sports teams for better reasons than I have.  But team connection can make a real difference out in the world; people take it very seriously.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I decided that because of my affiliation with Baseball

Diary, I was going to watch a baseball game this season.  Of course, it would have to be either a playoff game or World Series game due to the timing.  And I needed a team to root for.

I chose the Giants.  It made sense to me in a weird way.  I could have chosen any team in the playoffs.  So be it.  It just so happens they ended up in the World Series.  How could I have known?  Some fans could probably say.

I watched game 5 against the Cardinals, which turned out to be a great game!  I had to watch it in the bedroom as others were watching TV in the living room and, obviously, baseball played second string.  My daughter walked in on me and said, “What? You’re watching baseball?” “Yeah, what of it?”  “Since when do you watch baseball?”  Busted.  Clearly she hadn’t been reading my blogs!

It’s true I did other things while watching the game, including taking notes for a blog post.  I don’t know why I needed notes.  Perhaps I doubted my ability to really think in baseball terms or remember key points of the game.  I enjoyed the game, watching Zito pitch a no run game.  He’s kinda cute, too.  Lynn scared me until the Giants got through to the 4^th inning.  I have to admit, I was not bored.

But perhaps the defining moment in my short career as a baseball fan was at Baskin Robbins during Game 6.  I had watched my game and while I was mildly interested in whether the Giants made it to the Series or not, I was not watching any more baseball; I just didn’t have the time.

As I waited for my daughter to decide what she wanted, I noticed the game was playing.  I searched the place for the TV.  Nowhere.  I asked the ice cream scooper if it was on the radio and he assured me it was.  Of course.  I asked the inning and the score, the only proper thing to do.  His eyes lit up and we talked about the game two nights before.  It was the perfect bonding moment.

I ordered my ice cream as we talked.  He handed me my cone with what can only be characterized as a softball-sized scoop in the place of the normal baseball-sized one.  My daughter’s eyes widened immediately.  “That’s Giant!”  Exactly.  Her sundae was mysteriously covered in extra chocolate syrup.  My daughter looked at me quizzically.  And that’s what team affiliation can get you!