Territorial Bloggings

Check out the latest column from The Sports Guy Bill Simmons. While he might seem a bit over the top, I think that’s typical of a Red Sox fan. I know that Cubs fans are like that, and having grown up in Detroit, I know that Detroit fans (esp. Red Wings fans) can be just as over-the-top/manic.

However, the part of the column that I found most interesting was the part that talked about the relationships & bonds that developed between fathers & sons (or, if you prefer, the more generic parents & children) and even including a third generation. I know that feeling first hand. Being a Red Wings fan, my lifetime was spent without a Stanley Cup until the Wings won in 1997. I grew up hearing about the glory years in the 50’s from my dad, and I internalized a (for lack of a better word) love of that franchise & its history that I don’t have for any other team. While the Wings 42 year drought pales in comparison to the futility of the Red Sox “curse”, it still enabled/enables me to understand the mindset of the Red Sox Nation.

Perhaps the best part of the Wings winning in ‘97 was the fact that I got to watch it with my dad. It’s an emotional bond that’s hard to explain, but it’s one that Simmons does a great job of explaining in his column.

-ghp