Sports fans are ridiculous, but it’s fun to be ridiculous. From the kid running down the street in his boxers when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series to suddenly everyone rocking Cubs gear from head to toe, social media profile pictures and “Fly the W” flags popping up casually outside people’s windows, it’s all kind of ridiculous. We do it though, and regardless of how insane it looks to anyone else, real fans stand proud. And finally through a 108-year World Series drought and being down 3-1 in the series, the Cubs prevailed. They gave their fans something to be proud of. Kudos, Cubs fans, winning a world championship should be a fundamental right that every fan should be allowed to enjoy, at least once in life.
9:33 a.m. Oct. 31, New England Patriots trade Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns — For a third-round pick. This is what’s wrong with the NFL, but this is also why the Patriots are so good. They’re ruthless. In terms of Collins’ contract, I guess it makes sense; he would be leaving after the end of the season regardless so receiving some value such as a third round pick probably adds value that wouldn’t otherwise be there, but still isn’t it a little disgusting that the Patriots don’t believe they need one of the elite outside linebackers in the game to continue to be successful? Championship teams typically are not looking to accrue draft picks but rather looking to add pieces from other teams — the exact opposite of this Patriots move, when they threw Collins off to the Browns like flotsam. I honestly think that a large part of what pushes smart teams like the Patriots to moves such a as this is rooted in the current collective bargaining agreement; rookies are paid vastly less than veteran players, but because it now costs so much to retain veteran players compared to getting a young draft pick who an organization could easily coach up, teams are much less willing to pay for proven commodities. I think this had lead to overall worse quality of play in the NFL and higher turnover rates at starting positions that weren’t as common in the past; the NFL feels like a completely different league every year with the rate new players are entering the game. Sometimes, I hate football. Just a little bit.
9:47 p.m. Nov. 2, Cubs win the World Series — What a world. Nice things really do happen. Also, Ben Zobrist deserves everything he’s accomplished; since the days he was on the Tampa Bay Rays, he’s been my favorite baseball player. Throughout his entire career, Zobrist has had the best glove and ability to get on base but is consistently and frequently undervalued by anyone who was a sabermetrician. And now he’s been able to deliver the Cubs a championship at age 35. Huzzah.
9:48 p.m. Nov. 4, Golden State Warriors look pathetic — Honestly, I love my Warriors, I’ll talk about them every week, and I will always be unapologetic about how sick my team is. But, c’mon, the Dubs cannot protect the rim to save their lives. I physically cannot watch another game in which Tarik Black, Timofey Mozgov and Larry Nance Jr. are dunking all over my team. Louis Williams having his own 20-point highlight reel? Disgusting. Lastly, Steph Curry finishes 0-10 from the three. What is going on? Is this an apocalypse? I’m fearful that nothing I know is real.
1:20 a.m. Nov. 6, Sevyn Streeter confirms date to sing national anthem — I definitely should have touched on this story last week on Oct. 26, female, black singer Sevyn Streeter was supposed to sing the national anthem for the Philadelphia 76ers organization when the performance was suddenly pulled. Why was it pulled, you ask? Streeter was wearing a “We Matter” jersey. After the media found backlash, the 76ers have provided Streeter a new performance date on Dec. 16. Seems like a stale public relations move as the damage has already been done.
3:00 p.m. Nov. 6, Basketball is starting to get more fun, and I’ve honestly been surprised by the start of the 2016 season. No, I’m not saying that just because the Warriors have actually lost a couple games. How did the Indiana Pacers manage to trick themselves into thinking Jeff Teague was a legitimate option? James Harden has actually been ridiculous. Jusuf Nurkić looks emerging from the young mess of talent in Denver. Oh, and my fantasy basketball team is terrible.
