From Die-Hard fan to Ho-hum fan

I heard a joke about 5 years ago. I don't remember exactly how it went, but it was about an upset boyfriend and his girlfriend trying to figure out what was wrong. She asked if she needed to clean more, cook better, spice things up in the bedroom. The boyfriend said no, all that stuff is fine. The girlfriend asked, "then what's wrong? Why have you been so down & upset with me today?" The boyfriend replies "The Yankees lost"

It's funny cause it's true. When your team loses, depending on the importance of the game and the way they lost, it will upset you for hours or days. I'm sorry to say being a Jets, Mets, Devils & Magic fan, I know more than I wish to know about my teams losing.

Before Benjamin was born I would get so upset when my team lost. I would mope or be in a bad mood for days. Now...eh. It sucks that they lost, but I have more important things going on. Having said that, there are some grudges I have, that I will probably never let go of.

• I will still 'Boo' Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran both for striking out looking to end game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. (More Floyd than Beltran, try something man. Arguing with the ump after you strike out looking does not cut it)
• I would not help Stéphane Matteau out of a ditch.
• Timo Perez, if you ever make it back to the MLB, RUN. RUN TIMO RUN.
• Roger Clemens throws half a bat at Mike Piazza in a steroid rage, no disciplinary action??

I don't think I will add any more sports grudges.I still want my teams to win, but I have so many more important things going on I really don't get upset anymore if they lose. The Devils had a 3-2 lead with 1:20 left in game 7 of the 1/4 finals. They gave up 2 goals and lost 4-3 and were eliminated from the playoffs. In years past, I would be on suicide watch, but instead I was writing blog posts about the Bathroom Incident and trying to hear Baby C with a cup and toilet paper roll. It just doesn't get to me anymore.


I've gone from a die-hard fan to a ho-hum fan. I think the reason I'm OK with that has a lot to do with the players. Players are now on Facebook and Twitter and we get an insight to what they go through before and after games. The night before the Buffalo game Mark Sanchez tweets "Wat movie should I watch in the hotel? Hangover, angels and demons, terminator, funny ppl, public enemies, star trek???" The next day he throws 5 interceptions and the Jets lose in OT. Maybe what movie to watch should not have been his top priority.

In the week leading up the the Jets vs Jags game, Dustin Keller and David Clowney were Tweeting about playing Connect 4. After the loss, David Clowny tweets about going to Times Square with his father. Maybe instead of playing games, you should throw the ball around. Work with Braylon Edwards on his drops. Somehow show that you are upset about the loss. Players should take the loss worst than their fans.

I goof off at my job from time to time and players should be given the same leniency, but I don't do my job in front of 78 thousand people, with millions more watching from home. If they aren't preparing for a game or upset about a loss, why should I be? You go play connect 4, watch your movies and hang out in the city after you have probably been eliminated from the playoffs in November. I'll hang out with my boy & wife.

The most telling sign in my change from die-hard sports fan to ho-hum sports fan is this: I cheered for the Yankees in the World Series. I am a changed man. Before we found out Allison was pregnant, I would never, NEVER cheer for the Yankees to win the World Series. Now, good for them. I don't even care if my son becomes a Yankees fan anymore. At least he'll have something to cheer about in 10 years when they are spending 400 million on salary and winning while the Mets spend 350 million and finish with 90 losses. I almost want him to pick different teams. While it's true cheering for a losing team builds character, I want him to enjoy winning. Thank God for the 1986 Mets, and the 1995, 2000 & 2003 Devils. Without them I'd have nothing to cheer for.
To the Jets, Mets, Devils and Magic, if you are reading this...do it for Ben! Thanks.

Hi, my name is....

Whikka-whikkka Slim Shady. Ladies you will be relieved to know, Slim Shady did not make the list of possible baby names. Fellas, I tried, but Allison didn't approve. Check the end of this post for a bunch of other names she rejected. And, if I'm being honest...I don't even think she took any of them seriously.

Ok, so picking a name isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Let me rephrase, picking a boy's name isn't as easy as I thought it would be. As soon as we found out Allison was pregnant, we started throwing around girl's names. We had a name Allison absolutely loved and I liked a lot. You can imagine our surprise at the 12 week sonogram when they said it was a boy and we had to start picking out boy names.

We made a spreadsheet with names we liked and tested each one for 2 days. We use them in everyday life. Some names only last for 3 minutes. Some make it through day one, but don't make the cut of day two. Example Conversation:
Me: What did "Baby Name Here" do today, just suck his thumb and turn cartilage into bone?
Allison: Yep
Me: (to belly) Good job in there Keep up the good work & listen to your mother.

Me: Honey...where are you?
Allison: I'm in "Baby's name here" room.

There is one name that has made it through the test and is currently in day 3! I won't tell you the name, but it fits all the criteria.
Criteria 1. Cute name for a boy and also a good name for a man.
Criteria 2. Good nickname
Criteria 3. Easy to say. "Baby Name Here"

We have gone through a baby name book, multiple baby name websites and so far, this is the only name that has really felt right. If you are reading this and you have a suggestion for a boy's name and want to share it, leave a comment or send an email. We want to make sure we pick just the right name for our little guy and any suggestions of names we may not have thought of are appreciated.

List of Awesome Names Rejected by Allison
1. Martin Brodeur - NJ Devils goalie All-Time NHL wins leader. (pronounced Mar-Tan)
2. Mike Piazza - Beloved NY Mets catcher
3. Citizen Cope - Trip Cs, can you beat it? also one of my favorite singers.
4. Linkin Park - Another excellent musical entry. Also, a good president.
5. Seven - Stolen from the Seinfeld episode. SEVEN'S THE NAME!!!
6. Sig, Jonathan, Phil - yes, I was watching The Deadliest Catch at the time.
7. Mookie Wilson - He played in game 6.
8. Optimus Prime - Optimus Prime!!!
9. McLovin'

Posting from the road tomorrow. Note to self, do not post when distracted.