Winners lose the right to gripe
By Bill Simmons
Page 2 columnist
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/031114.htmlMidway through the World Series, I called in for a scheduled ESPN Radio appearance in New York. The producers put me on hold and hurried a caller -- Vinny from Brooklyn (or was it Mario from Yonkers?) -- who was whining about the Yanks like a disgruntled ex-wife. Keep in mind, the Yanks were two wins away from their kajillionth title. Of course, that didn't stop this guy from griping about Soriano and Giambi, questioning Torre's mental faculties and wondering if Aaron Boone should be legally disemboweled. Even more amazing, the hosts seemed to agree with him.
When I finally made it on the air, I had to clarify one thing: "Wait a second ... aren't you guys in the World Series right now?" You'd have thought it was July and they were 20 games out. Apparently, winning four titles since '96, plus vanquishing the Mets once and the Red Sox twice, wasn't enough.
(snip)
After my Patriots reached the Promised Land (Feb. 3, 2002), I unveiled a new favorite sentiment: "That's all right, we won the Super Bowl." Those eight words have remained a personal mantra for the past two seasons, even as I continued to follow the team with the intensity of Andrew Shue reading a cue card. A 99-0 defeat to the Dolphins wouldn't faze me. It's like I'd ODed on happy pills. Deep down, I wondered if I'd ever care as much about football again. How can you top climbing Mt. Everest for the first time?
(snip)
So for all those ungrateful Yankee fans out there -- at least the few who can read -- put a sock in it. As one of my readers once wrote, rooting for that team is like rooting for the house in blackjack. With 26 grace periods in the bank, you should be walking around with one of those permanently dumb smiles on your face. You know how Michael Douglas looks now that he's got Catherine Zeta-Jones? That should be you. I don't want to hear another peep until the year 2053.
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