Why my teams are my teams:

Today (9/17/07), Wolf went crazy on me since I have teams all over the map. I am not in anyway justifying who I became fans of the teams I cheer for. I know it should be as simple as the teams you grew up with are the teams you stick with but it’s not that easy for me. These stories are dumb but I come clean so you know.

* REDS/BENGALS: I grew up in SW Ohio so I can’t help but hope they do well

* METS: When I was around 8 years-old, I wanted to be different for no reason.

I guess it’s the whole “rebel without a clause/clue.” I asked my father who was a team that no one cared about. He said the Expos, so I started following Steve Rogers, Charlie Lea, Tim Wallach, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines and, my favorite Expo, Gary Carter.

I was a catcher and a first baseman as a kid and Johnny Bench was getting old so it was great to have a new catcher to follow. When Carter was traded to the Mets for Hubie Brooks, et. al., I became an instant Mets fan.

I still liked the old Expos but it was all Mets for me.

* WHITE SOX: In 1990, the White Sox were very good.

The A’s won the West that year but the White Sox actually had a better record than the Eastern Division Champion Red Sox (some people pushed for a Wild Card based on how good the 1990 White Sox were—the argument really hit the fan 3 years later when the Giants won 103 games and missed the playoffs).

There were stories in Cincinnati papers about the 1919 Black Sox because there was a chance the 1990 version of the Reds and White Sox would meet in the World Series. The games would have been played in Comisky Park, just like the 1919 games.

I was attracted to the history of the old park, the Sox then moved to a new park and Tim Raines signed a free agent contract with the White Sox—yes, there’s that Expos connection.

* ROYALS: I lived in KC for 3 years.

This franchise has been above .500 once in about 20 years, yet the fans still love them. If you look at the attendance, you won’t believe me. I was there in 2003 when the Royals were in the playoff race until the end. They were drawing 25,000 fans a game as a walk-up crowd.

It was obscene. You give the fans of KC any glimmer of hope and they’re there immediately.

The next year when tickets went on sale for the 2004 season, the line circled around the stadium.

* D-BACKS: It’s not because I live somewhere that I become a fan. It’s because I get to know the people of an organization and I won’t those people to do well.

What’s not to like about this organization?

This team donates $5 per ticket purchase to the YMCA so they’re giving back. There’s only been one arrest this year. The guys on this team are great to talk to and resilient beyond belief. They have the GM and manager of the year (OK, that’s opinionated), and they never seem to play for a pay check.

They play for each other and the love of the game. It’s impossible to live here and not claim this as your team.

* LAKERS: This is in my past but it affects my future. My father saw nothing but Celtics games on TV when he was a kid. Therefore, I, naturally, became a Lakers fan to balance this out.

I still won’t let go my Showtime Lakers or even my Shaq Lakers. I’m so over-the-top in my dislike of Kobe that when Shaq was traded, that was the last straw.

I was completely an NBA vagabond.

* SUNS: Before I moved to Phoenix, I respected the Suns; I wanted the Suns to win; I was not a fan of the Suns. The reason for this is simple.

First, I didn’t like the NBA. I hated NBA officials. I hated the NBA for the way they instructed refs to officiate. I thought David Stern was an arrogant jerk. I wanted the Suns to win because I thought they played the game the right way but that didn’t make me a fan.

When I moved, I got to know some members of the Suns organization. I learned more about Nash’s charity work. I saw the passion of a fan base in a city that doesn’t get passionate about a lot of things.

Plus, I had never been to a playoff game in the NBA. I went to the Suns/Lakers game one and actually rooted against the Lakers. I loved every minute of it.

* REDSKINS: This is my favorite team, and it’s the worst story. When I was young and chose the Lakers as my basketball team, I found out the owner of the Lakers also owned the Redskins (Jack Kent Cooke).

Using 8 year-old logic, I decided that if one man’s cool enough to own the Lakers then the Redskins must be just as cool.

* CHIEFS: They sell out every game. Their fans are best cooks in the NFL. It is a 12 month topic of conversation. The Chiefs rule KC. I loved some of those players in the three years I was there.

I also became very close to one of their coaches who took the time to get to know me and teach me the game. It might be unfair of me to say who the coach was but imagine an NFL coach sitting down with a member of the media and watching film. He would go over with me the mistakes the players made so I sounded more intelligent on the air. He would also point out the little things they did well so his guys would get credit for things not everyone sees.

We even talked coaching strategy about the decisions other coaches made around the league.

So, if I have to rank my teams:

1. REDSKINS

2. METS

3. D-BACKS

4. SUNS

5. CHIEFS

6. ROYALS

7. BENGALS

8. WHITE SOX

9. REDS

10. LAKERS ARE OFF THE LIST