Misery Loves Company

I find myself constantly asking WHY? Why do my favorite sports teams never win a championship? Is it Karma? Are they just not that good? Should I take a new found interest in Art? Whatever the reason is I find myself sitting on the couch at the end of a season hanging my head (a la Yadier Molina's home run in the 9th inning of game 7 of last year's NLCS). A Met team that had so much promise had quite the let down. Growing up the Mets stunk, then they trade for Mike Piazza, got real good, and made the playoffs 2 years in a row, 1999 and 2000. In 99 they lost a heartbreaking playoff series to the Braves (Kenny Rogers is still not welcome in my home) and in 2000 went to the World Series only to meet a cross town juggernaut that pretty much took them to the proverbial tool shed. This year they have played up and down but still find themselves in first place BARELY over the Fightin Phils. Please don't do this to me!

The New York Jets surprised everyone last year by making the playoffs. I believe the quote from Shannon Sharpe on the opening week of CBS's football coverage last year was "if the Jets win 4 games this year, the city should throw them a parade." Well Shannon, they won 10. Take Chad Pennington out to dinner why don't you. The Jets overachieved so much last year that us fans got what we called a "free" football game in the first round of the playoffs against some team in New England. Do we have audio and video of that game too? Okay, so be it the Jets lost and arugably shouldn't have even been there, but they were. This brings back eerie memories of the 1998 season, when the Jets were one of the NFL's Elite. They had a 12-4 regular season record led by the Tuna and Vinny behind center. Oh yea, they also had some guy at running back who they got from the Patriots the previous off season. You da man Curtis. Anyway after rolling through the playoffs and into the AFC Championship game against Denver and that Elway person things were looking up. A blocked punt touchdown by then legendary third string tight end Blake Spence put the Jets up 10-3 at the half. Come the second half it was a different story. Someone flipped the "Zach Switch" on meaning that his favorite sports teams must disappoint again. Mr. Elway went on a rampage and decided to destroy the Jets en route to his second of two SB's. The worst part of the defeat was that had the Jets actually won that game, I would have bet my arms and legs and eyes and ears, and some money that they would have beaten a much inferior Atlanta Falcons team in that years Superbowl; Dirty Bird!!!!! To start the 2007 campaign, the Jets have a surprise, surprise hurt starting QB and of course they can't block or rush the passer. I'm used to this by now I tell ya. 0-2 against two superior AFC teams (fair or not) should have been expected now that the Jets actually have higher expectations this year. Now the schedule evens out and let's hope the Jets can do some damage.

The Knicks and Rangers are going to share a paragraph because I like to share and if there is one thing I learned in life it is that sharing is caring. The Knicks are a joke and will continue to be. Growing up when Ewing, Starks, Oakley, and Derek Harper were on the hard court things were different. Those Knick teams had heart, passion, fire and a will to win, not to mention a coach with really slicked back hair who was pretty damn good. Of course, and I think solely because I am a Knick fan, they came sooo close yet sooo far from winning a title. Now I am lucky if I see the current Knicks make a bounce pass correctly. Oh and their head coach is currently involved in a civil suit against a former employee alleging that she was sexually harassed by him. Glad all his attention can be focused on building a winner. The Rangers have won a Stanley Cup in my life time. The bad news: I barely new hockey existed when it happened. I root for the Rangers and would call myself a modest to knowledgeable fan. I watched their playoff games against Atlanta and Buffalo this year. Of course they lost and didn't win a title. Theme here anyone? I like goalie Henrik Lundqvist, I like JJ, and I like Sean Avery who I sincerely think has actually murdered opposing players on the ice, but thats not why I like him, its because he plays hard. They signed Scotty Gomez and Chris Drury which is eerily familiar to them signing Eric Lindros and Bobby Holik, both of whom skated down Broadway and kept going until they were both out of town. If the Rangers win it all one day, I will be happy...........

.......Not as happy, ecstatic, or UBER EMOTIONALLY ecstatic as I will be if the Mets or Jets win it all in my lifetime. So with Pedro back, and a very good offense and hunger for revenge from last year, hopefully, just maybe the METS can end my RIPKEN like streak of misery this year. If not, and you can relate to everything I just wrote about, then please join me because Misery sure does love some company.