Since you don’t choose to be a fan of a sports team any more than you choose your parents, it’s usually just depressing to think about alternate possibilities. I can see the advantages of having been born a Gates or a Kennedy or even a Cobain-Love, but dwelling on them won’t lead to anything but an empty bottle of George Dickel.
Of course sometimes you can’t help yourself. When I do assess my feelings about other sports teams, I think—would I rather be a fan of their team or mine? Which team looks to be headed in the right direction?
At the moment, I don’t see the advantages of being any other type of sports fan than a Seattle one.
The Seahawks are the best team in football and the youngest. Can’t imagine a better direction than that. And they’ve just solidified their leadership, signing Pete Carroll to a new contract—just as a rift is growing between 49ers’ coach Jim Harbaugh and his bosses.
Clint Dempsey finally had a big game as a Sounder. Of his three goals against Portland, two came off passes from Obafemi Martins. No MLS team has a duo as creative as Martins and Dempsey; now that they seem to be on the same page, they’ll make it a fun summer.
Plus, Chris Hansen has guaranteed we’ll get an NBA team!
I must admit, the Mariners’ early-season results are what’s put me in this sunny mood. And I don’t think I’m the only one. On Friday, the most-read story on The Seattle Times’ website was day-old news: “Mariners off to 3-0 start after sweep of Angels.” The Mariners’ young pitchers fired pitch after pitch past the Angels’ aging hitters in their season-opening series. The Angels, once the dominant force in the A.L. West, looked old, slow, and confused—sort of like the Broncos in the Super Bowl.
With Texas’ pitching rotation in shambles and Houston fielding another AAA-level team, the A’s would seem to be the Mariners’ main competition. And the M’s played right with them last weekend, losing two in the three-game series but getting outscored only 10-8.
If you’re the gloating type, this is the week to get on Facebook and brag to all your friends in New York and L.A. and Miami about being a Seattle sports fan.
sportsball@seattleweekly.com
