I am a bit of a homer (or whatever the term is called for people who think the hometown person should win, get the break, whatever). But I also let emotions affect my feelings in sports, which makes me a such a girl (which I clearly am, though rarely act like).
When Rocco Mediate, a Greensburg native, tied Tiger Woods in yesterday's US Open, I was pulling for him, not only because he lives less than an hour from Pittsburgh, but also because I thought of how great it would be for him to win a major, something he had never done before. Tiger has won something like 3,297 majors at this point. I lost count. When the round ended in a tie, I actually considered praying that Rocco would win. I know it is silly and unfair in some way to bother God with that sort of prayer, but someone has to win, so why shouldn't it be someone who has never won before? Think of how great that feeling would be. For Tiger, it is just another green jacket or piece of hardware or whatever it is you get with that win.
When the Steelers were in Super Bowl XL, I decided to pray for a victory. I reasoned that since someone has to win, it might as well be the team that has been trying to win one for the thumb for something like 30 years. I was afraid my grandkids would have to endure that slogan, for the love of pete. Fortunately God answered that prayer. Now we have to wait until they win one for the other thumb.
Clearly, I need to worry less about sports victories and more about other things. But back to my being a homer, part of the reason I want my teams to do well, is economics. After living in the Burgh about a year or so, I decided that I was going to start to root for Pitt. As a Penn State alum who lived through that rivalry, this did not come easy. But I was pretty sure if Pitt did well, then that could only help the school's finances, which would help the city. Sounds like a win-win to me. And I have to say, having talked to Coach Wannstadt a few times (we sometimes pass each other on the walking trail and actually walked together for a few minutes once), he seems like a nice guy, so I want them to do well regardless.
And I am pretty sure that with all the Pens playoff games, the city had to have brought in some big money. If Dan Onorato's drink tax does not surpass his original projection by the end of the summer, I will be stunned.
When Rocco Mediate, a Greensburg native, tied Tiger Woods in yesterday's US Open, I was pulling for him, not only because he lives less than an hour from Pittsburgh, but also because I thought of how great it would be for him to win a major, something he had never done before. Tiger has won something like 3,297 majors at this point. I lost count. When the round ended in a tie, I actually considered praying that Rocco would win. I know it is silly and unfair in some way to bother God with that sort of prayer, but someone has to win, so why shouldn't it be someone who has never won before? Think of how great that feeling would be. For Tiger, it is just another green jacket or piece of hardware or whatever it is you get with that win.
When the Steelers were in Super Bowl XL, I decided to pray for a victory. I reasoned that since someone has to win, it might as well be the team that has been trying to win one for the thumb for something like 30 years. I was afraid my grandkids would have to endure that slogan, for the love of pete. Fortunately God answered that prayer. Now we have to wait until they win one for the other thumb.
Clearly, I need to worry less about sports victories and more about other things. But back to my being a homer, part of the reason I want my teams to do well, is economics. After living in the Burgh about a year or so, I decided that I was going to start to root for Pitt. As a Penn State alum who lived through that rivalry, this did not come easy. But I was pretty sure if Pitt did well, then that could only help the school's finances, which would help the city. Sounds like a win-win to me. And I have to say, having talked to Coach Wannstadt a few times (we sometimes pass each other on the walking trail and actually walked together for a few minutes once), he seems like a nice guy, so I want them to do well regardless.
And I am pretty sure that with all the Pens playoff games, the city had to have brought in some big money. If Dan Onorato's drink tax does not surpass his original projection by the end of the summer, I will be stunned.
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