Annapolis 10-Miler, Bandwagoneers

I'm running in my second Annapolis 10-Miler this Sunday morning. The weather should be much better than last year, about 10-12 degrees cooler and much less humid. So I should improve on last year's time, but of course I won't really know if any improvement is due to better weather or my being in better running shape. There's also Chris and Heather's wedding reception happening back in Frederick on the previous evening - I'll have to scale back the drinking :( and hope that the drive back home that night followed by the early drive to Annapolis doesn't tire me out too much.

I was out running on Wednesday night, and during the part of the run that went through the Canton neighborhood, I counted no less than 6 people outdoors with their Boston Red Sox caps on. Yes, Canton is a neighborhood in Baltimore - so what's going on? Is it just a strange coincidence? Did I see 6 New Englanders, who all happen to be baseball fans, during a 3-4 minute stretch of running?

Unlikely. I'm betting that these people have NYY hats in their closets or basements that they last wore 4-5 years ago. They wouldn't know Ted Williams if they opened their freezers and saw his frozen melon staring back at them. And they sure don't know much about baseball if they think they're rooting for a 'historically-great franchise'. The Red Sox are only historical in the manner that most antiques are historical; they're just old. Here's a list of all the current MLB teams - in their current locations and with current nicknames - with better championships-per-season percentages than the Red Sox (and yes this list was painful for me to compile due to item #1):

1. #$%&ing Yankees: 28.3%
   
2. Florida: 16.7%
3. Arizona: 14.3%
4. Oakland: 10.8%
5. Dodgers: 10.6%
6. St. Louis: 8.6%
7. Toronto: 7.1%
8. Baltimore: 5.9%
9. Boston: 5.1%
   

So as you can see, those Charm City-based Red Sox fans would be better off, statistically-speaking, rooting for...the hometown team!!! What a revolutionary concept! I wish that all those Sox fans who buy the gear and maybe even support the team, despite absolutely no connection to the city of Boston or the New England area, would realize this. What good is being a fan (i.e. fanatic) if your loyalties change with the wind? Anyway, I'm glad I don't personally know any of these people of obviously low moral fiber.

Now, will I still root for the Sox whenever they play the Yankees? Sure, don't be ridiculous. But I won't be enjoying myself. The choice between 98 years of mostly-average play and 92 years of pure evil is easy but uncomfortable - root against the evil, and hope for the best.