Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Nerves
Game 7, NYC, tonight.
Wanted to comment on my impressions of the fans in this series and how they have reacted to the various situations.
Pre-series: Confidence for both teams. Sox fans are believing they really have the best team, but a bit nervous about Schilling's ankle, and what if it happens again. Yanks fans always believe, but at least acknowledge that this Sox team is their equal...at least on paper.
Game 2: With a win behind them, and an early lead, the hilarious but predictable "who's your daddy?" chants begin. Yankee fans truly have their swagger back.
Game 3: Down 2-0, the Sox fan confidence is completely gone, and my biggest pet peeve about this group becomes apparant. They expect to lose. The Yanks come back to tie, and the raucous crowd goes silent. I don't know what kind of impact fans can have on a game, but if a negative enrgy has any effect, they are bringing it to the Park.
Game 4: Yankee fans are so cocky now, as they should be. Sox fans in the stadium are acting like a bunch of losers. Down 4-2, they can't even bother to get loud on two strikes, or cheer their hitters on. They are just waiting to lose. This group gets quieter faster, and takes a defeated attitude more quickly, than any group of fans in sports. Down 4-2, with nothing to lose (but the entire season), why not try to root your team on to victory, and at the least show your appreciation for the great entertainment they've given us this year? Instead they act like a bunch of losers.
Game 5: I had ranted the night before about how Sox fans are losers and how ashamed I am, but after the previous night's events, it actually seemed like the fans expected to win. They would get a little silent when the Yankees had men on base, which is the exact opposite of what happens in the Bronx, but at least they seem to believe.
Games 3-5: So many shots of all the fans praying/unable to look in the stands - I wonder if Fox had to search for those, or if they find the random people doing this and play up for effect. Are Sox fans bigger pessimists, or is Fox more ridiculous and sensationalistic? It's really an unanswerable question. And I think I just made up a word.
Game 6: Before the game, Yankee fans are a bit nervous. Today (day of game 7) they are really nervous. I could see it last night, I can see it in the office. It's all come down to 1 game, not unexpected at the start, but how we got here is the shocker.
Game 7: We'll see what happens tonight, but the big change seems to be that even though this team is better than last year, Sox fans will be proud of them no matter what happens tonight. If they lose, it will hurt. But not nearly as badly as last year hurt. Maybe last year made us stronger. Or maybe it made us detach our emotions from the team a little bit.
But we've grown up, we believe, and we won't die if it doesn't happen tonight.
Now if only the team would repay that maturity with a win...because it would be really, really nice.
Wanted to comment on my impressions of the fans in this series and how they have reacted to the various situations.
Pre-series: Confidence for both teams. Sox fans are believing they really have the best team, but a bit nervous about Schilling's ankle, and what if it happens again. Yanks fans always believe, but at least acknowledge that this Sox team is their equal...at least on paper.
Game 2: With a win behind them, and an early lead, the hilarious but predictable "who's your daddy?" chants begin. Yankee fans truly have their swagger back.
Game 3: Down 2-0, the Sox fan confidence is completely gone, and my biggest pet peeve about this group becomes apparant. They expect to lose. The Yanks come back to tie, and the raucous crowd goes silent. I don't know what kind of impact fans can have on a game, but if a negative enrgy has any effect, they are bringing it to the Park.
Game 4: Yankee fans are so cocky now, as they should be. Sox fans in the stadium are acting like a bunch of losers. Down 4-2, they can't even bother to get loud on two strikes, or cheer their hitters on. They are just waiting to lose. This group gets quieter faster, and takes a defeated attitude more quickly, than any group of fans in sports. Down 4-2, with nothing to lose (but the entire season), why not try to root your team on to victory, and at the least show your appreciation for the great entertainment they've given us this year? Instead they act like a bunch of losers.
Game 5: I had ranted the night before about how Sox fans are losers and how ashamed I am, but after the previous night's events, it actually seemed like the fans expected to win. They would get a little silent when the Yankees had men on base, which is the exact opposite of what happens in the Bronx, but at least they seem to believe.
Games 3-5: So many shots of all the fans praying/unable to look in the stands - I wonder if Fox had to search for those, or if they find the random people doing this and play up for effect. Are Sox fans bigger pessimists, or is Fox more ridiculous and sensationalistic? It's really an unanswerable question. And I think I just made up a word.
Game 6: Before the game, Yankee fans are a bit nervous. Today (day of game 7) they are really nervous. I could see it last night, I can see it in the office. It's all come down to 1 game, not unexpected at the start, but how we got here is the shocker.
Game 7: We'll see what happens tonight, but the big change seems to be that even though this team is better than last year, Sox fans will be proud of them no matter what happens tonight. If they lose, it will hurt. But not nearly as badly as last year hurt. Maybe last year made us stronger. Or maybe it made us detach our emotions from the team a little bit.
But we've grown up, we believe, and we won't die if it doesn't happen tonight.
Now if only the team would repay that maturity with a win...because it would be really, really nice.
# posted by Darlucky @ 2:19 PM 
