I sat in front of my television stunned. There was this sports team that I, along with thousands of other die hard fans, just knew was ready to break out of their playoff slump. There was no way they were going to disappoint me again. I'd sat through years of playoff losses, but this year was going to be different. At this point, they were the top team in their conference, a choice by many to go all the way. Yet, they lost the first two games of this playoff series at home to a team that had been to the Finals in recent years. I vowed not to watch game 3 or game 4. I wanted to wash away the plague of failure. I was only 17 at the time, but I started to think that maybe I'd let sports take over too much. Who cares if the Rockets don't win again this year? I'm used to it. Screw it, I'm going to do something else during the next game. That's what I thought. Then I started thinking about it. There's a reason I'm a fan of this team. Hope springs eternal. I'm not going to do anything else. I made sure I was in front of a television for game 3. Not just to go through the motions. I knew we were going to win. We had Hakeem the freakin' Dream Olajuwon. We had OT. We had Kenny Smith. We had Sammy Cassell. We had Mario Elie. We were going to win. Not only were we going to win game 3, we were going to win game 4, game 5, and so on until we won the series. I knew it and there was no doubt in my mind. Seven years later, I feel the same way. After watching Moises Alou fly out to end the close, yet ultimately disappointing game 2 at home, I told myself I wasn't even going to watch game 3. This team has done this to me too many times. I'll go see <I>Corky Romano</I> instead. That's what I thought. Here we are, 3 hours and 40 minutes away from the first pitch in game 3, and I'm ready. There's a reason I'm a fan of this team. Hope springs eternal. Screw movies, I'll be in front of a television for this game. I'm not doing this to go through the motions, I know we're going to win. We have Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman, Vinny Castilla, Moises Alou, Richard Hidalgo, and Shane Reynolds. We have Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner. Tomorrow we'll have Roy Oswalt, and Sunday Wade Miller...all fully rested. I know we're going to win this game and game 4. I know we will win game 5 and onto the NLCS. There is no doubt in my mind. <B>This team will duplicate the "Clutch City" team from 1994, and will deliver the first World Series championship to the great city of Houston. GO 'STROS!!!</B>
<B>Here we are, 3 hours and 40 minutes away from the first pitch in game 3, and I'm ready. There's a reason I'm a fan of this team. Hope springs eternal. Screw movies, I'll be in front of a television for this game. </B> I thought you didn't care if they lost? Or was that all a bunch of garbage (pronouced gar-baaaaaaaa-ge for effect)?
we can do this... ATL's home record sux and ours rox! we could win 2 over there and bring it back to houston!! rH
Well, I just decided to ignore idiots like you and Mack Brown who think they can decide how real fans feel, and watch the rest of the year. I got excited about their play in the last series against the Cardinals and it had me convinced that their past playoff failures were just that, in the past. At least I've never rooted for them to lose.
Awesome post, RM95. You actually succeeded in getting me pumped up for the game. Unfortunately I've gotta work this afternoon so I won't get to see the first pitch, but I'll be listening on the radio and rooting, all the same.
<B>Well, I just decided to ignore idiots like you and Mack Brown who think they can decide how real fans feel</B> You didn't "ignore" me. I said if you didn't care, you weren't a real fan. You went from "not caring" (supposedly, or lying more likely) to "caring" and suddenly made this rah-rah post like an actual fan would. Thanks for proving me right.
I didn't prove you right. I even posted that I don't know how I'd feel when it happened, but at that moment, I didn't think I was going to be disappointed. I still stand by my position that anyone who roots for a team to lose, like you did in the last game against the Cardinals, cannot be considered a real fan of that team.
<B>I didn't prove you right. I even posted that I don't know how I'd feel when it happened, but at that moment, I didn't think I was going to be disappointed. </B> Then why the hell were you arguing with me? If you didn't know if you'd be disappointed, then why would you assume I was referring to you? When you aren't disappointed with the loss of one your teams, come back to me and I'll tell you again that you're not a fan. <B>I still stand by my position that anyone who roots for a team to lose, like you did in the last game against the Cardinals, cannot be considered a real fan of that team.</B> It's all about a means to an end. I'd still rather be facing the D-Backs right now. Just like how some people wanted the Rockets to lose so they could get a better lottery pick.
Yeah, it had nothing to do with your preference of going to the first game on the weekend rather than a Tuesday. I guess you were lying then, huh?
All I gots to say is "Strike this Mothafugga Out!" Reynolds is Clutch - We win Game 3 today. Oswalt is Great and we "Beat" Maddux Tuesday - we WIN Game 4 Saturday. Wade Miller will pitch Game 5 Sunday - beat Glavine - we WIN the series. First team to come back from 0-2 deficit after losing first two at home. Bagwell is gonna spread his magic hitting dust on everyone else's bats and stick it to Burkett tonight. He is a very low caliber pitcher. GO ASTROS!!! I still believe.
If we're going to win this series, Tom Glavine is going to have to miss the plane to Houston before game 5. The last time Tom Glavine lost in Houston was 1991...that was the summer before my senior year of high school. To put that in persepective, I have since completed college, law school and have been practicing for nearly two years now!!! That's a damn long time!!! Go 'stros!!!
To further put that in perspective I have eaten between 2500 and 3000 squirrels since then. That's a lot of squirrels...well..I guess it was a lot of squirrels
