Sunday, January 11, 2009

GENUINE FANS

I had to make short post this morning after reading today's paper. On thing that aggravates more than anything in sports is the " wanna be a winner fans ". Sure , I would like to see the Tribe win a world series in my lifetime. I was born late in 1950 and missed the last win. I don't like or understand some of the moves they make but sometimes they turn out better than expected ( Colon trade for example) . When I spend the time and money to to go to the stadium I like to see my team win , but win or lose , I am still an Indians fan and will still follow the team every day and not be afraid or ashamed to let people know it. Paul Hoynes is an Indians beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. You can email him a question and he will pick several to place in his column , "Hey Hoynsie ", on Sunday morning.The following is the question he picked today :

"Hey Hoynsie: I'm sure you would agree that pitching , defense and speed win championships . Given the Indians' lack of pitching and team speed , why should Indians fans even bother showing up to games this season knowing that we can't compete with the likes of Boston , New York , Anaheim , Detroit and Minnesota ? "

WHY SHOULD FANS BOTHER SHOWING UP ? Because some of us are true fans !!! Considering our payroll I think we've been pretty competitive . Even though it's more business than a game today , I love baseball and I love the Cleveland Indians. I don't know the guy who wrote this question and don't know his real thoughts and feelings , but the way it was worded it sounds like he is one of those "fans" who jumps on the bandwagon when times are good and it's " cool " to be seen in Tribe gear.I wish those kind of fans wouldn't show up when times are really good , so lifetime fans like myself could get tickets to play off or World's Series games .

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4 comments:

  1. MotherscratcherJanuary 11, 2009 at 11:36 PM

    I had the EXACT same reaction as you when I read that. I couldn't believe it. Frankly, I was a little disappointed that Hoynsie didn't let the guy have it a little and call him out.

    Personally, I already have 10 games payed for for next season.

    Go Tribe!

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  2. BASEBALL DADJanuary 12, 2009 at 8:19 PM

    Being in the position he is,I think Paul probably just wanted to sound like a rational adult. He did , in a subtle way , set the guy straight with the facts and figures.I sent an email to Hoynsie, maybe mine will be in the paper next week !!

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  3. Kentucky HaroldJanuary 13, 2009 at 5:24 PM

    I have a theory that those of us who started following the Tribe in the 1960's and '70's got used to losing seasons and learned to find pleasure in the simpler accomplishments of the team and the players and just have a love for the game of baseball. A winning season or a player going to the All-Star game was great. Individual feats were more important than how the team did overall. In contrast, fans who started following the Indians in the '90's got spoiled, expecting championships every year and getting mad when they did not get them. These are the people that drove out Mike Hargrove and Jose Mesa after they had done so much to get Cleveland near the top. Unfortunately, I think this attitude is common for sports fans everywhere. But, I know I am not going to throw my fifty years of Indians' memories (and baseball cards) out the door just because they don't win the Series this year or next.

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  4. SpiffJanuary 24, 2009 at 5:30 PM

    That goes for almost any team (with the exception of the Evil Empire - all bandwagon, all the time). True fans stick with the team through thick and thin. I always get irritated by these types of questions. Even more so when they come from a "fan" of a team that has won it all at some point in their history.

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