There seems to be a lot of gloom and depression around Music City these days, a lot of it related to the fact that the Titans lost Saturday, ending their otherwise marvellous season. I've caught snippets and been part of several conversations the past few days, lamenting the fact that we turned the stupid ball over three times in the red zone and that horrific no-call by the refs in the fourth quarter.
:::Deep breath:::
All of this got me to thinking about my loyalty to certain sports franchises and my disdain and lack of love for others. As many of you know, my first love in the world of professional football is the Washington Redskins. So, for years, I've had a good, healthy lack of love for the Cowboys.
I love to hate the Cowboys.
But while the Washington/Dallas rivallry will always be my favorite in pro sports, lately it seems like the Ravens have been making a run to bump the Cowboys off as my number one most despised team in the NFL. And as I've pondered it over the past few days, I realized they may have moved into that top spot of teams I actively hate and pull against. Why you ask?
Because the Ravens have hoisted the Titans' pitard not once but twice in the last eight years when everything was on the line. Yes, the Titans have been able to beat them in the regular season, but in the last couple of years it's been the Ravens who have robbed the Titans of what we wanted most--to go the Super Bowl. They've won two critical games on our field when we were the top dog in the NFL and derailed what could have been a "dream" season for the Titans. To add insult to injury, it was the Ravens who came in and took away our undefeated streak at home back in the 2000 season.
Add to that, the divisional realignment that moved us out of playing the Ravens twice a season and it only magnifies the desire I have to want to see the Titans beat them down every time the two play. (I think the NFL should adopt the same policy the SEC has and have some rivals that aren't in the same division play every year along the lines of UT vs Bama.)
Of course, a lot of that could be the sting of losing to the Ravens and having to hear Ray Lewis tell us all how great God is because the Ravens won. (I'm all about loving God, but I don't think the Lord is really that involved in the outcome of football games....no matter how much prayer time I devote to my team winning.) Part of it could also be that the Cowboys aren't in the playoffs this year (insert sounds of joyful glee here).
So, for now, I am officially declaring the Ravens as the team I hate most in the NFL.
With the understanding that the Cowboys are a close second and can jump up to first at any moment....
Labels: football
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/13/2009 03:00:00 PM |
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