Wednesday, January 18, 2012

To 86 The 49ers?

As a true blue Dodger fan, I don't care much for the San Francisco Giants. I mean, I'm civil and everything, but I will (politely) boo them and their players with a lot of gusto. And even if I come upon the rare record book which registers their virtually unwatched 2010 World Series fluke, I am careful to remind Giants fans that their San Francisco trophy case carries four fewer trophies than our own Los Angeles Dodgers' case.

Which brings me to football. I don't care much about football, and the little eneergy I do spend in following it skews toward college football rather than the professional spectacle known as the NFL. Perhaps this reflects the fact that Los Angeles doesn't have a pro football team (besides the USC Trojans); at the very least, this doesn't help any. But even as a kid growing up in SoCal, I didn't care much about the Lambs (too weak) or the Raiders (too scary).

So here come the 49ers, having rebuilt their squad on the back of an old-school Stanford coach who has given washouts like Alex Smith a reinvigorated and perhaps unrealistic perspective. Yet the 49ers, mediocre for years before, are suddenly in the conference playoffs.

San Francisco fans are psyched, of course. They haven't seen a winning 49ers team for decades, and frankly, they're so overcome with giddiness that they can barely hold their pinkies in while grasping their chardonnay glasses.

I recall about six or seven years ago when I was waiting for a table at the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco, along with a large party of inlaws from my wife's family. The queue was long and people were getting ornery. And then, in walks another group, much later than us, and puts their similar-sized party's name in the queue. And suddenly, they vault ahead of us and are seated.

My brother-in-law and I raise the issue of this inequity to the hostess, who acknowledges the favored treatment and promises to seat our party promptly. However we were pretty aggravated, so much so that the about-to-be-seated party looks back and notices the affront. The next thing I know, one of the older guys in their party comes over to us and says, "hey, sorry about this. Can I buy your party a round of drinks, on us?"

Totally cool move on his part, right? And I'm rarely one to turn down a free drink. However my brother-in-law just glares at the guy, and while I'm taking drink orders from the rest of our clan, he retorts that he doesn't want this guy's charity. I shrug my shoulders and put in my drink order, but my brother-in-law just glares at the guy, and I don't really understand why at the time.

Turns out that guy was John York, husband to the co-owner of the 49ers. And my brother-in-law, a lifelong fan of every San Francisco sports team, was so pissed at how the 49ers franchise had degraded under York's tenure, that he couldn't stomach even an offer of free alcohol from the owner. So be it.

Anyway, I digress. I've got nothing in particular against the 49ers, and certainly not the level of hatred as my brother-in-law had toward York. I mean, I find them annoying, but only insofar as I find most Bay Area sports fans insipid and bothersome.

I'll watch the NFL if it's on TV and there's nothing else. And sure, the single-elimination playoffs are more compelling theatre. But these teams evoke no passion in me; I'm largely indifferent about the New York Giants, let alone the Ravens and Patriots. And I think if push came to shove, I'd probably root against the Niners--simply because they're from the same city as the hated San Francisco Giants.

Is this wrong? Is this even rational? And are any of you Dodger fans going through the same set of emotions about the NFL playoffs? Discuss, as I'm about to consider (more) therapy.

23 comments:

noah! said...

I'm a die-hard Dodger fan (thanks, Dad), and will never ever waste my breath rooting for the SF Giants. Having said that, I grew up in way-northern California rooting for Montana and Rice back in the 80's. It's a weird existence, rooting for the Niners and against the SF Giants, but It's how I grew up and can't imagine ever changing.

Franklin Stubbs said...

For some reason, I've never mustered up a dislike for the 'Niners on the same level as I dislike the Giants, but then my interest in football is much less fanatical.

I have only so much capacity for fandom, so while the NFL can be interesting, I still ultimately don't care that much.

If it comes down to the Harbaugh Bowl (Harbowl?), I won't be too broken up about it.

Franklin Stubbs said...

That said, the thought of the Raiders coming back to LA gives me the screaming willies.

Steve Sax said...

Screaming willy? Sounds like you need some penicillin

MR.F said...

Screaming willy? Sounds like you need some dong tea.

Pistol Pete Reiser said...

Ahhhh the Screaming Willies... I remember seeing them open for the Smashing Pumpkins... good times.

A new game, Dodger Blue Mad Libs:

__________ the Giants
(verb/noun)


__________ the Niners
(verb/noun)


__________ Candlestick (could hurt)
(verb/noun)


__________ the 1 lame WS trophy
(verb/noun)


__________ the Giants (yes, again)
(verb/noun)

For some reason I am
Unable to explain, I
Can't pass up spending time,
Kicked back, playing Mad Libs.

oh, and I don't care about football.

Franklin Stubbs said...

So, the screaming bears comment, but not the fact that it's plural?

MR.F said...

I'm meh to the 49ers. Meh to football in general. So meh!

Franklin Stubbs said...

Yeah, Candlestick is a fucking hellhole. It can't be denied.

spank said...

Lamb fan por vida!

Fuck The Niners!

Hideo Nomo said...

We should be boycotting this matchup, since it's San Francisco/Giants.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

So I can either root for Frisco or I can root for the Giants?

(cries)

Franklin Stubbs said...

On the other hand, either San Francisco or the Giants are guaranteed to lose.

I'm all about the positivity.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

I'll root for the team that has the less insufferable fans.

Wait...

(cries)

spank said...

I root for an earthquake to hit Frisco.

Steve Sax said...

An earthquake that stops a major sporting event in san francisco?

Yeah, sounds familiar.

Steve Sax said...

Harbowl > Tebowl

Cliff Beefpile said...

I've always hated the NY Giants because of their name and the fact that they played their early games in the same Polo Grounds as their baseball counterparts. The two have always been inextricably linked for those reasons. Also, Bill Parcells was/is a dick.

That said, I think I hate any team from the Bay Area more, because they're from the Bay Area and their fans are mostly twats.

I actually once sat down and ranked the MLB teams in the order that I hated them (I'm filled with hate, you see)...I guess I'll have to do the same for the other sports. Priorities are key when doling out such hate.

QuadSevens said...

I used to be a 49ers fan when I was in middle school and high school. But my senior year, they sucked (1999). Then I moved to San Diego for college and a friend of mine became a Chargers Girl. So now I'm a Chargers fan.

They're out of it now. So until the Super Bowl and all of it's crazy betting comes around, I don't really care about football.

Delino DeShields, Sr said...

The NY Football Giants is the blood in my veins, the veal in my cutlet, the bee in my bonnet.

Look for DelinO cheesehead pic soon

Steve Sax said...

DelinO, is it then fair to say the Giants are also the parasite in your intestinal tract? The wax in your ear? The lice in your scalp? The crabs in your jock?

DodgersKingsoftheGalaxy said...

Puro Pinche 49ers!!!

As a kid i was a huge 9er fan (probably because they were good) but then they started sucking and i lost interest. By then the rumors about us getting a team again started back up. I was just happy for the team that they were good again, but starting with that Steelers game on MNF i remembered what it was like rooting for them and i was into it. So i'm back on the bandwagon, totally pumped for Sunday, totally pumped for the defensive minded teams (+Ravens) and hoping they can ruin what the east coast media was hoping for. Does it make me a fan again? IDK, but the Chargers would have to hurry up and move here to try and win us over. Most of my family still treats me like i'm a 9er anywho..it's also great to troll Raider fans for picking the wrong team.

Frankly IDK why i'm supposed to hate the Giants in the modern era either...the players don't hate each other, you don't play as much and it's not for a pennant just a division title, where you can still win a wild card. It's always seemed more about SF fans hating LA.
QuadStevens, i was hoping the Chargers would get er done to piss off the Raider fans, but with the moves they've made they are impossible to support, it's like they have Ned Colletti in charge.

DanGarion said...

Go Niners! Beat the Giants!