I am fiercely loyal to my teams. The Yankees have always honored the loyalty of myself and all of their fans by fielding teams that are competitive year after year. Besides, the only alternative would be to root for the Mets, and let's be realistic, the Mets suck, and they always will. The NY Rangers, on the other hand, are much harder to root for. They haven't won a cup since '94, and every year they seem to make boneheaded free agent signings or bad trades. For example, they decide to let Sean Avery go, and then take him back after he makes a complete ass of himself and no one else would touch him with a ten foot pole.
What makes it harder to root for the Rangers is the fact that the NJ Devils represent my beloved Garden State, they play right in Newark in a beautiful new arena, and they have been one of the classiest organIzations in the sport. (The capital I is to represent the Canadian pronunciation of the word, eh!) What makes it more difficult is the fact that they have won THREE cups since the Rangers last one in '94. I mean, we only got to use the old 19 NEVER chant for one strike shortened season, after years of hearing the 1940 chant at the Meadowlands. (1940 of course being the year the Rangers won the cup before 1994, and the Devils won their first cup in 1995.)
Still, I am loyal to my teams. I will never not root for the Yankees, no matter how many A-ROID scandals, or Clemmons "Misrememberings", or Giambi apologizing for "taking that stuff." I was so crushed after they lost to the Red Sox in 2004 that I couldn't go to work the next day. I was crippled, my world was shattered. The Red Sox just can't beat the Yankees. It's not possible! (Even though they won that series, and two World Series, they still suck.) I watch every game when I can, or I listen on the radio.
Though I do not catch nearly as many Ranger games, I am still VERY loyal to the blueshirts. I could never root for the Devils, even though it would be easier. My brother and I were Ranger fans back when the Devils were in Colorado as the "Rockies." When the Devils showed up, we didn't automatically embrace the team just because they were from Jersey. We remained loyal to the Rangers, and our loyalty was rewarded with the magical season of 1994. (I guess being a Ranger fan is the closest I can come to being a Met fan. The team usually sucks, they are choke artists, but every once in a while the sun shines on the proverbial dog's ass and they win.)
Now the team that truly tests my loyalty, is the Dallas Cowboys. I have been a cowboy fan since before I can remember. I think my father rooted for them back in the 70s because he loved Roger Staubach, and it must have rubbed of on me. (My father is currently a fan of the NFL, but not of any one team.) The Cowboys have provided great memories for me as a fan, and some of the players that went through Dallas just had so much heart that you had to admire them. (Especially Emmitt Smith.) This coupled with my loyalty has been enough to keep me rooting for the 'Boys through the lean years that followed the glory days of the 90s.
The problem I have with the cowboys now is the team is GUTLESS. Their quarterback chokes worse than ARod in the clutch. They sign idiots like Pacman Jones to contracts worth millions. They allowed T.O. to completely destroy the team with his antics. The team has no character. I know Michael Irvin was a stripper loving coke-head, but dammit, he played his ass of on Sunday. He was by all accounts a great teammate on the field. He was tough as nails, and he would probably knock his mama down to get to a ball in the air. And he never dropped the ball. EVER. T.O. usually has more drops than catches. He hears the footsteps.
I'm sure you can imagine my joy at the news that T.O. was released this week by my team. I felt great when I heard the news. Finally, the Diva is gone! Besides, wide receivers are really not as important as good lineman, and a good quarterback. There are plenty of guys who can fill the role and do a decent job. There may be some drop off from T.O., but if the quarterback can stop worrying about his girlfriend, they should be fine.
I celebrate the departure of T.O. with some trepidation, however. There are two free agents that the Cowboys are rumored to be interested in. One of them is Ray Lewis from the Baltimore Ravens. The other is Michael Vick, of the Federal Penitentiary. Most of you know the history of these guys, but if you don't I will be brief. Lewis was accused of accessory to murder a few years back. The charges were dropped because he cooperated with police. He has since found Jesus and is supposed to be a changed man. I for one don't buy it. Vick, well lets just say that PETA does not like him very much.
I am saying it right here and now, making it public: If the Cowboys acquire either one of these guys, I will NOT root for them any longer. I will cease being loyal to my team. They tested my patience with T.O. Pacman really caused me to ponder whether or not I can continue to root for the Cowboys. If they get either of these turkeys, I am done. I can't do it anymore. I hate to lose one of my teams, but my conscience won't allow me to support them anymore if they keep getting these low character dirtbags to play for them. I would rather they go 2-14 (provided the two were against the Giants) than see either one of these lowlifes win a Super Bowl in a Cowboy uniform. The madness has to stop. I can't allow myself to root for a team that continues to pay millions of dollars to a bunch of criminals and crybabies. I know my other teams have their flaws, but by and large the players on the Yanks and Rangers are not criminals, and most of them are team players.
This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys will test my loyalty. I know Jerry Jones couldn't care less about it, but I hope they pass my test. I hope JJ will realize that character is just as important as raw ability.
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