Average Baseball Fan

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm your average, run-of-the-mill baseball fan. Nothing special. Joe fan.

I'm the guy MLB targeted with their Tommy Lasorda ad campaign. I'm the guy my hometown team tries to get to buy tickets to the games. I'm perfectly happy watching the game on TV, and that's free. I might buy a cap, maybe even a t-shirt... but no jerseys, and no face paint. I might stick on that free pin they gave away, but my cap is not covered in pins. That hurts when someone pats your head. Oh, I might pay attention and read the newspaper stories every day when my team is winning. If they suck, I might not know who's on first.

If they get to the playoffs, then I wear that t-shirt all the time (but I'm gonna wash it... I'm not a insanely superstitious dude), and I FEEL happy when they win take the lead, or if I'm really lucky, actually win a game. But when they lose out in the first round on a sweep, or however they happen to bow out of the playoffs, then life goes on. The t-shirt goes back to the bottom of the drawer, maybe becomes the "painting shirt". I don't perform sacrifice rituals with the cap, the newspaper articles, or the un-used playoff ticket my boss gave me. I just throw them out.

Maybe I keep the cap. I might need it next year, because next year...oh never mind. They're going to lose next year, too. They just extended the manager's contract.

SO what did the average fan do during this world series? Well, I found myself glued to the television for minutes at a time several times. I laughed at errors, misplays, baserunning mistakes, and dumb managerial decisions. And as little as I actually watched the games, it seems that I always saw those things happening. Joe fan was not impressed (I know my team could have easily won the damn series. If they just could have gotten there). I was asked before the series who I would root for. Uh, no one. I just don't care. ALL I WANT IS GOOD, EXCITING GAMES TO WATCH. Thats all, MLB, thats all I want. And you and Tommy cannot deliver. Now I know why I hate the Dodgers, again.

I was pressed on the issue of rooting, though. I was told you have to root for someone so you can get into the series. Maybe. Being your average fan, I decided that if everyone thought the Tigers were going to win, then I would "pull" for the Cards. I can't "root" for them, they are not my team. So now that the Cards have won, I can finally enjoy a playoff victory because the team I wanted to win actually won!!!

And then MLB ruined the moment for me. They gave the MVP to David Eckstein. They gave him a yellow Corvette and he was happy to have his first new car. Huh? How old are you? How much money do you make? And you never bought a new car before? Average fan is not happy that below average baseball player can win the MVP. Average gets you NOTHING in the real world. This guy gets a car. And my team...the one that SHOULD have been there, and WOULD have won...gets nothing. My team has several below average guys on the roster. Why couldn't it have been us? We are much less than average than the team that won it.

On a side note, I know why they gave him a yellow Corvette. So you wouldn't notice the phone book he needs to see over the dash.

Of course, being the average fan, just this quickly I'm over it. In 5 months or so, I will be surprised to hear that spring training has started. I will start wondering who these guys are, what happened to my favorite player (he's in New York now), and why did we go and get that guy. He sucks.

Oh well, it doesn't matter. We'll win anyway. We're going all the way this year. And if we don't....