Ok, two quick things before I dive into my second highly anticipated post.  Number one, I am taking this entire opportunity to try and blog with a little originality and offer some sports commentary on subject matter and with viewpoints that may not have been considered in a major sports media outlet.  Number two, from here on out I will be composing my posts as if someone might actually be reading them.  Considering I've received one comment so far and it was a verbal comment from my roomate who offered "Why don't you write a blog about how a 27 year old with a college degree shouldn't be unemployed," I'm just going to use my imagination. 

Anyway, moving on.  Today's topic is how unbelievably angry most sports fans seem to be in life.  Take for example, this exchange I found on the web recently.  I used a little artistic freedom, but it really was strikingly close to this:

BengalsFan4Life:  How can the Bears be ranked ahead of the Bengals in this week's power rankings?   The Bengals destroyed the Bears when they played.

JetsFan4Ever:  Hey BengalsFan,  maybe if the Bengals didn't give up 35 points a game, they would be ranked ahead of the Bears.

BengalsFan4Life:  Hey JetsFan, if the Bears can't score more than 10 points a game, then what's the difference, you moron?  Why don't you suck my d***?  By the way, Brooks Bollinger is having a great season, isn't he? 

You get the point.   Are these forums necessary?  Listen BengalsFan4Life, I think it's pretty obvious that you and JetsFan4Ever are arguing from two fundamentally different positions--that of the value of offense versus the value of defense--and are never going to see eye-to-eye on this matter.  There's no need to get personal.  And that Brooks Bollinger shot was a low-blow. 

Not so fast, though, JetsFan4Ever.  You're not getting off that easy.  Seeming how you are neither a Bengals NOR a Bears fan, I'm not really sure you should even have a say in this matter.  So why are you trying to get all up in BengalsFan4Life's business anyway? 

From my experience with most hard-core fans (which I consider myself one of), they are always angry about something.  These feelings escalate with age.  If their team stinks, everyone in the organization is horrible.  Then, if a team gets good, unless they win a championship, it is always the fault of some "moron," be it a player who can't peform in the clutch, a coach who can't win the big game, etc.  If a team does win the championship, the fan's happiness lasts for about 15 seconds before he starts engaging in vengeful "I told you so" quips to his friends.  Soon after that comes the "even though we won the championship, we're still not getting any respect" talk.  Then, if a team becomes a dynasty, that's still not enough.  The fan must engage in fierce debates about why the Cowboys of the early 90s would kill the Steelers of the late 70s and how the '01 Ravens D couldn't even hold a candle to the '85 Bears D.  Finally, if you live long enough, you start complaining about how players in the present era can't compare to players of the past and say things like "Pitchers use to have to pitch the whole 9 innings."  Then you die a miserable, miserable old man.

I could go on for pages and give a hundred more examples of this phenomenon, but I fear I would start to become like the bitter people I am speaking out against.  Also, I'm still having trouble covincing myself that it's ok to take part in what appears to be an exercise in futility.  That's ok, though.  My blog doesn't ask me questions like "What are your greatest weaknesses?" and "What kind of management style do you prefer?"