Rick Morrissey’s Feb. 9 column explains what makes a fan a fan.
You get mad at the team, the management, the ballpark, and the cost of hot dogs, beer and parking. You curse. You’re going to put your White Sox cap in a garage sale, but you know nobody will spend the nickel you priced it at. And yet, when you hear Ozzie Guillen get fired up, you get fired up too. I haven’t been able to get this organization out of my system for 53 years. Some years, it seems like I want the Sox to succeed more than they want to.
I was in Cincinnati several times last year and saw how the Reds played. Everything went against them, from Ken Griffey’s on-again/on-again injuries to misguided ownership that sold off talent (ostensibly to get pitching that it failed to develop in the first place, or sign before the season started) to a new ballpark with an ugly center-field backdrop and stupid smokestacks in right. And yet, for all their faults, the Reds played exciting ball, especially in the late innings, and gave the fans a reason to cheer and come back for more.
Maybe Ozzie Guillen will make a difference with the Sox. I hope so. I’ve got to cheer for something.
