Sports is a funny thing. We pick our teams in the most arbitrary ways possible. Be it indoctronated from family, or choosing your team to go against family; often times you simply root for the team in the closest proximity to you, or pick based on a player.
That’s what I did when I was 8 years old. Nolan Ryan, who is one of the greatest pitchers of all time (5,714 strikeouts; 7 no hitters, 2 in one season), was the ace of the Rangers rotation. Therefore, I became a Rangers fan as opposed to Jays or Expos, or Red Sox or Yankees.
It’s hasn’t been easy, but it has been fun. Juan Gonzalez’s 101 RBI’s by the allstar break in 1998, Josh Hamilton’s clinic in the 2008 home run derby, AL MVPs of Gonzalez, Pudge, A-Rod and Hamilton, a perfect game by the Gambler Kenny Rogers, and another one out away by Darvish in 2013 (for the haters out there it was Odor that committed the error to end the perfect game, and Odor that should have had the single that ended the no-hitter). I personally saw Derek Holland’s one hitter against Boston. There were the back to back AL Championships in 2010 and 2011, coming oh so close in 2011 forever cementing my hatred of David Freese and the St. Louis Cardinals.
However, for most of you, you’re Jays fans. Two World Series Championships (1992, 1993), Cy Young winners in Hentgen, Clemens, and Halladay, and no doubt countless other triumphs that as a non-Jays fan I cannot truly understand. Although, you can add the 2015 ALDS to that list.
This series was epic, close, and a true battle. I said going in the Jays rotation was too strong, turns out it was more the weakness of the bottom of the Rangers rotation with both lefties (Perez and Holland) not back in the groove after major injuries.
I know a ton of great Jays fans, far too many to count. I’m happy for you all, and wish you the best of luck against Kansas City.
I don’t know if I’ll be jumping on the Jays bandwagon, part of me thinks it just doesn’t seem right given the fact that of the teams left in the playoffs the Jays are the most recent World Series Champions, meanwhile the Cubs haven’t won since 1908.
To put that into perspective there was a lady on the floor my grandmother was on in her nursing home who was over 100 years old; her granddaughter is a grandmother, and she never saw the Cubs win it all. 6 generations of human beings without seeing a Championship won for North Chicago!
Regardless, having seen both of my teams have the chance to win the league championship in extra time of game 6 of the league finals (Flames in 2004, Rangers in 2011) only to go on to lose game 7 has humbled me. I know the pain of defeat, someday I’ll know what it’s like to win… someday.
In the meantime, here’s my breif interview with Colin and Courtney the morning crew on The Rock 88.9 in Saint John.
https://soundcloud.com/rock889fm/jon-texas-fan
Good Luck Jays fans.