Being A Fan

[124]

I don't know. I slept on the floor in my bathroom after Denver.

Yeah, that game sucks, and I still blame my step mom, then my dads new girlfriend, for showing up at halftime and jinxing the Jets. Then again, Denver was a great team that year. As good as a team the Jets were, the Broncos were the defending champions and had John Elway and Terrell Davis who had ran for 2,000+ yards that season. Pittsburgh was a team of luck with a ****head dumbass looking Quarterback who all he did was hand it off 8 out of 10 plays and had his backs and defense carry the team to 15-1. They got what was coming to them the next week.

[Green DNA]

Anyone see this Chicago Cubs special on HBO? I watched it last night and it was really good. How is this football related you ask? As I watched it I thought about rooting for the Jets. I thought of how the Cubs have had such a long drought. How their fans are so hopeful but have had to deal with so much losing. Similar to what we have experienced with the Jets on a much smaller scale.

As I watched it I realized that it is such a great story. Here are these fans that are SO happy for the few good years they have had. They consider 1969 to be a magical year yet they finished like 8 games out. They were so close in 2003 but lost when it seemed certain they were going to the World Series.

What is the point here? The point is that what gets lost often times is what I will call the magic of being a fan. Just rooting for your team. Sure the #'s tell us that our team will lose. Sure history says they haven't won it all in awhile. But what is wrong with truly just believing? What is wrong with putting yourself out there and rooting for the team to win. It is almost like being a kid. You don't factor in all of the other stuff. All of the reasons that were hear daily. There is so much negativity in the world. The Jets won't win because Chad can't get it done. The defensive line isn't strong enough. The offensive line isn't physical enough. Mangini is a good coach but it is only his second year.

I remember being a kid and truly believing every year that the Jets would win the Super Bowl. What is wrong with that? Sure they didn't get it done, but I think it is far better to just believe. Why? Because that is what sports gives us. An escape. An escape from reality and all the things that are certain in life.

Some things I can't change. I have bills to pay. Work to do. Things have to get done. The Jets offer an escape from all those things. In sports anything can happen. The future has not been written. So I refuse to look at things and say why it can't happen. Instead I look at it and just believe that it will happen. People will say that history will prove me wrong. And that's okay. I am not an expert on TV giving analysis about the game. I am a fan.

My job as a fan is to root for the team. It is to believe that they will win it all. I am not saying we can't be critical. They don't always do things right. But you know what? One day they will do it right. One day they will win the Super Bowl.

When it happens -- I will be able to say that I called it. Because I am a fan. Believing they are going to win it all is what I do.

Nice post. BTW, is anyone else's allergies bothering them today?

[joewilly]

I am basing my opinion on 16H 2003. Dude, trust me. I had some guy in his boxer shorts (and nothing else) - cigar - beer/whiskey within two inches of my face SCREAMING "PHUCK THE PATSIES.....FUUUUUUUCKCKKKKKKK.......I'LL BE NICE TO YOU THOUGH..........FFFUCUUCUCUCUCKKKKK!!!!" I was perplexed, bewildered and a little scared. The residual screaming spit that hit my face was just so refreshing.....thing is, I back away, he just followed. Frickin' freak. And that's a tame story. Dude, trust me.

Yes, Foxboro has it's drunks - truth be told, it used to be worse. Much worse.

yeah but that was 03. you & smizzy seem to get on fine these days though

[JetCane]

I can speak for our generation (Myself, 80, Barton, Jetsfan80) and would have to say that that Steelers game was probably our first true tasting of the Jets having many chances to win a game but failed and came up short. Sure the losses to Denver in '98, Oakland in '01 & '02 were hard, but the Pittsburgh loss in '04 might've been the hardest bullet to bite. The Denver game is a very close second however.

I knew I left one out. Watching the second half of Denver was like being in the twilight zone. That was horrible, just HORRIBLE, Bill Walton. Cuz you KNEW we woulda beaten the dirty birds. That one hurt. That one was thinking, feeling, tasting the SB, and leaving with dry mouth. It's all part of the fan thing, right Max?

[Maxman]

I don't agree that you lost it Joe. Being a fan doesn't mean you have to be a sheep. If nobody boo'd at inteptitude or quit supporting bad teams with their dollars - nothing would change that needed to change. As much as we all want to live in the fantasy that the magical year or years when our chosen teams ride to the top and take it all is the only thing important to the folks that own the franchise, thats just not reality. Unfortunately it's a business and disgruntled fans who have put their heart and soul into a team have but one recourse - and thats to let it be known in whatever way they can. It doesn't mean they're not fans. If anything it's just the opposite.

I agree that fans have a right to voice displeasure. I am not one to boo. Not my style. But it seems like a lot of fans are looking for things to be wrong. That is the nature of the world today. 24 hour news channels and the internet lead to having us break everything down.

But it is still the offseason. Mangini has shown great promise. I am saying that I trust them. I believe they will get it done. The Jets will win the Super Bowl.

I believe it. I really do.

[Maxman]

Nice post. BTW, is anyone else's allergies bothering them today?

DNA that is funny man. Must be the damn pollen count again!

[NJ]

I agree that fans have a right to voice displeasure. I am not one to boo. Not my style. But it seems like a lot of fans are looking for things to be wrong. That is the nature of the world today. 24 hour news channels and the internet lead to having us break everything down.

But it is still the offseason. Mangini has shown great promise. I am saying that I trust them. I believe they will get it done. The Jets will win the Super Bowl.

I believe it. I really do.

From Casey At The Bat:

The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:

The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.

And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,

A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest

Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;

They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -

We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.

And I'm not saying that magic doesn't happen either Max. It was the magic in 1969 of the fledgling AFL and it's champion Jets that made me a Jet fan in the first place. I didn't see the HBO Cubs special yet but I really don't have to because it's about me, and Doug, and Troll and a bunch of others who are hoping against hope that something is going to be different and your dreams will finally come true. We've had the best team in MLB on paper more than a few times and taken the pipe and the Yanks don't have a ring for every year they've had the best players in the game. That in itself is proof that heart and guts can make up for some degree of lesser talent. Mangini is just the kind of guy that can make that kind of magic happen.

And you knew this was coming...... I just don't think we have the skills at the QB position to pull it all off. Boy do I want to be wrong about that too.

[Maxman]

From Casey At The Bat:

The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:

The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.

And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,

A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest

Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;

They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -

We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.

And I'm not saying that magic doesn't happen either Max. It was the magic in 1969 of the fledgling AFL and it's champion Jets that made me a Jet fan in the first place. I didn't see the HBO Cubs special yet but I really don't have to because it's about me, and Doug, and Troll and a bunch of others who are hoping against hope that something is going to be different and your dreams will finally come true. We've had the best team in MLB on paper more than a few times and taken the pipe and the Yanks don't have a ring for every year they've had the best players in the game. That in itself is proof that heart and guts can make up for some degree of lesser talent. Mangini is just the kind of guy that can make that kind of magic happen.

And you knew this was coming...... I just don't think we have the skills at the QB position to pull it all off. Boy do I want to be wrong about that too.

Watch the special on HBO. It is very moving. Seeing people cry after the Marlins loss in '96 was rough.

[The Troll]

Sometime after the '03 Cubs and the '04 Jets, I quit thinking like that.

This loveable loser bull**** ain't for me. I want to win and I want to win now.

[Scott Dierking]

Ever see the movie Radio Flyer? That damn wagon flew because they believed in it. It flew because they had to believe in it.

Max is right, time and life strips something away from us that is innocent. That innocence is the power to believe and to trust. Time wants to harden something that we should all cherish.

I still see it in my 7 year old, but I see my 9 year old already being betrayed by life, and the innocence is dripping. It is a sad process to see.

Sport needs to represent something else. It should be allowed to be an escape. It should allow us to suspend disbelief. It is a sanctuary that takes, but it gives so much more back.

And for that, we should allow sports, and allow our teams a little latitude. They deserve it, and so do we from time to time.

[junjobx2199]

People think im crazy. every year i come up with an impossible total of wins for the jets and then we come up short or loose the game we were supposed to win ,or the ref's blow the call. I cant ever shake my gut instinct to think the Jets will win it all. I watched the balimaore ravens score 7 points a game(not counting defensive touch downs) and win it all. I watched the st. luis rams catch fire and win it all. I watched a rookie come in and win it all (nameless). We can win it all!

[Maxman]

People think im crazy. every year i come up with an impossible total of wins for the jets and then we come up short or loose the game we were supposed to win ,or the ref's blow the call. I cant ever shake my gut instinct to think the Jets will win it all. I watched the balimaore ravens score 7 points a game(not counting defensive touch downs) and win it all. I watched the st. luis rams catch fire and win it all. I watched a rookie come in and win it all (nameless). We can win it all!

What total do you predict for this year?

[Gainzo]

I think I have all you guys beat The Aussie Rules Football team I follow in Australia, St. Kilda, were established in 1873. They have come in last 26 times and their only title was in 1966.

I started following them in 1980 and they have been to the title game once since then (1997). They blew a big lead in that game and were destroyed in the final quarter.

I still stay up late at night and listen to their games over the internet.

Why? Because they were the team I took on as my own as an 8 year old and no matter where I live in the World they will still be my team.

#27 is over in Italy but still bleeds green. That's very cool in my book as is the dedication of all fans. We all love our respective teams for one reason or another.

[Maxman]

I think I have all you guys beat The Aussie Rules Football team I follow in Australia, St. Kilda, were established in 1873. They have come in last 26 times and their only title was in 1966.

I started following them in 1980 and they have been to the title game once since then (1997). They blew a big lead in that game and were destroyed in the final quarter.

I still stay up late at night and listen to their games over the internet.

Why? Because they were the team I took on as my own as an 8 year old and no matter where I live in the World they will still be my team.

#27 is over in Italy but still bleeds green. That's very cool in my book as is the dedication of all fans. We all love our respective teams for one reason or another.

Big deal. We drive from NJ to Long Island to watch the Jets practice. Long Island! Do you know how painful and dangerous it is for us to go there? lol.

[Gainzo]

Big deal. We drive from NJ to Long Island to watch the Jets practice. Long Island! Do you know how painful and dangerous it is for us to go there? lol.

No need to make fun! j/k. I thought that if I didn't mention St. Kilda I would endure abuse from some Jets fans because I'm a Pats fan.

BTW: Driving to Long Island sucks. I feel your pain on that one.

[Jetfan13]

Watch the special on HBO. It is very moving. Seeing people cry after the Marlins loss in '96 was rough.

I didn't cry..it was great..The Fish now have 2 rings in an 11 year span, and no-one here supports them...pretty funny if you ask me

[rick34125]

Anyone see this Chicago Cubs special on HBO? I watched it last night and it was really good. How is this football related you ask? As I watched it I thought about rooting for the Jets. I thought of how the Cubs have had such a long drought. How their fans are so hopeful but have had to deal with so much losing. Similar to what we have experienced with the Jets on a much smaller scale.

As I watched it I realized that it is such a great story. Here are these fans that are SO happy for the few good years they have had. They consider 1969 to be a magical year yet they finished like 8 games out. They were so close in 2003 but lost when it seemed certain they were going to the World Series.

What is the point here? The point is that what gets lost often times is what I will call the magic of being a fan. Just rooting for your team. Sure the #'s tell us that our team will lose. Sure history says they haven't won it all in awhile. But what is wrong with truly just believing? What is wrong with putting yourself out there and rooting for the team to win. It is almost like being a kid. You don't factor in all of the other stuff. All of the reasons that were hear daily. There is so much negativity in the world. The Jets won't win because Chad can't get it done. The defensive line isn't strong enough. The offensive line isn't physical enough. Mangini is a good coach but it is only his second year.

I remember being a kid and truly believing every year that the Jets would win the Super Bowl. What is wrong with that? Sure they didn't get it done, but I think it is far better to just believe. Why? Because that is what sports gives us. An escape. An escape from reality and all the things that are certain in life.

Some things I can't change. I have bills to pay. Work to do. Things have to get done. The Jets offer an escape from all those things. In sports anything can happen. The future has not been written. So I refuse to look at things and say why it can't happen. Instead I look at it and just believe that it will happen. People will say that history will prove me wrong. And that's okay. I am not an expert on TV giving analysis about the game. I am a fan.

My job as a fan is to root for the team. It is to believe that they will win it all. I am not saying we can't be critical. They don't always do things right. But you know what? One day they will do it right. One day they will win the Super Bowl.

When it happens -- I will be able to say that I called it. Because I am a fan. Believing they are going to win it all is what I do.

what's that?... no it's just a piece of dust in my eye...

[DHJF]

BTW: Driving to Long Island sucks. I feel your pain on that one.

You should try driving here every day. Ugh.

[BwanaZulia]

Nice post.

I totally agree. This is the NFL and anything can happen from year to year or game to game.

Root for the best and stay optimistic.

BZ

[faba]

Nice post.

I totally agree. This is the NFL and anything can happen from year to year or game to game.

Root for the best and stay optimistic.

BZ

1969 Mets-who would have thought they would win agianst the Orioles.

Jets against the big bad Colts.