FanNation - The Republic of Sport

After spending a weekend watching the Dave Matthews Band in Alpine Valley, I'm ready once again to tackle some issues;

1) I'm almost to the point where I feel like I should take back everything bad I said about the Brewers, what with declaring their season dead and all...since that little scuffle in Cincy's visiting dugout, the Crew haven't lost a game.  And since that massacre at Miller Park at the hands of the Cubs, they have gone 7-2 - that's including another great road trip, in which they went 4-2.  I may not be convinced of the job Ned Yost is doing...yet.  There was a wise man who used to work in Wisconsin a few years back, who said, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."  This rings true for Yost as well...we can criticize him all we want, but in the end, if he wins, all should be forgiven - especially, if this team goes deep into the playoffs (although, they have to GET there first).  So, once again, I think the smartest thing we all can do with Ned Yost is play the ol' wait-and-see game.  They're 16 games over .500 again, and as I write this, they're up on the Nats 7-1 in the bottom of the 7th - and if they win this, it will be the farthest they have been above .500 all year.  After getting swept by the Cubs, I must admit that I didn't see this success coming.  Furthermore, if there was ever such a thing as a "well timed injury," I think Ryan Braun's injury would qualify.  With this series against the Nats, who, to put it bluntly, are terrible, and then a series against the Padres, who are pretty terrible in their own right, it makes it completely unneccesary to rush Ryan's recovery...but let's just make sure he doesn't bang any more supermodels...er, I mean "chase curveballs."

2) No offense to Jets fans, but does Brett Favre even realize that he now plays for the NFL equivalent of the LA Clippers?  Seriously, at least the Clippers play in a neutrally named venue, the Staples Center - while the Jets play in GIANTS Stadium.  And doesn't Favre want to play for an actual contender?  And not a team that just came off a 4-12 season?  Let's face it, once you have a 4-12 season, the word "rebuilding," is much more prevalent then, "contending," the very next season.  I'm sure they will be better then last year...but why in the world are there actually people, mainly on New York's very own ESPN, that are now claiming that the Jets, who again, went 4-12 last year, will have a better season then the Green Bay Packers, who went 13-3.  Yes, I know, I know, I know...the Packers don't have Brett Favre anymore.  I could go over and over again with the reasons of why Brett Favre was not the ONLY reason why the Pack played so well - but clearly these facts will never penetrate the unfathomably thick skulls possessed by members of the national media.  But c'mon already...just repeat that sentence, and tell me how poor the logic is; The Jets, owners of a 4-12 record in the 2007 season, will be better then last years 13-3 Green Bay Packers.  All because they picked up a 38, soon to be 39, year old quarterback at the tail end of his career.  Am I the only one who feels dumber, just for hearing those words spoken?  I'm getting a headache now...

3) A little shout out to the French swimming relay team, who proclaimed that they would "smash," the Americans in the medal round. Now, I am by no means a Toby Keith loving, flag waving, Bush adoring nationalist who has an unhealthy obsession of hating the French (c'mon, why all the hatred?  They gave us MAYONNAISE!!).  But what I am, is a sports fan - and from a pure sports perspective, this was just awesome.  Any time a heavily favored team, or athlete, runs his or her mouth, and then ends up losing when everything is on the line - it, simply, what makes sports so great in the first place.  There is, what the French would say, a certain "je ne sais quoi" about it.  Watching cocky athletes fall flat on their face - it just makes people happy.  So thank you, French swim team, for bringing a smile to our faces.  And I'm sure all of France is thanking you as well, for furthering the stereotype that all French are pompous, arrogant, *insert your choice of plural four letter word.*

4) And now a mea culpa to fans of the Brewers I-94 rival, the Chicago Cubs.  Let a Dave Matthews Band concert be the source of my eye-opening realization; not all Cubs fans are drunken, loud mouthed, bandwagon riding idiots.  Get this Brewers fans; there are actually decent Cubs fans out there!  This all started when I read an article, in I believe the Wisconsin Journal's website, that explained that many, if not all, Cubs fans who are the most obnoxious, are usually the bandwagon fans - the fans who have a Cubs hat and t-shirt tucked away in the deepest recesses of their closet, and only wear those articles of clothing if the Cubs are winning.  Then there's also the people who went out a week ago and bought a Fukodome t-shirt, and then proceed to claim they've followed the Cubs their entire lives.  This kind of fan exists for any franchise (even the Brewers), but more so for big market, heavily exposed franchises like the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, etc.  So, although I've never actually proclaimed any of the sterotypes of Cubs fans that I felt were true on this website, I would like to apologize to you, the decent and loyal Cubs fans out there, for ever placing you on the same level as the idiots you have no control over.  Trust me, although the Brewers don't have nearly as many bandwagon fans as people claim they have (believe it people, Milwaukee is a baseball town), we also have our problems with idiots too.

That's all I got right now.  Looking forward to the official beginning of the Aaron Rodgers era tonight.  I'm considering just putting the TV on mute - I don't think I could stomach hearing Favre fans boo Rodgers (speaking of bandwagon idiots).