I lived in Portland, Oregon from September 2005 until this past summer. I love the west coast…especially the Pacific NW.
It was weird living in Portland. Seattle was the closest NFL city, so that was kind of the ‘natural’ team to root for. I was curious about this because the Trailblazers and Supersonics were fierce rivals for as long as they rolled out the ball against one another.
That would be like me rooting for the God forsaken Cavaliers or 76ers because they are the closest NBA teams. I really do not care for the Cleveland Browns and I really really could do without the Philadelphia Flyers.
I could not understand how anyone could root for a team (as ‘your team’) in a sport that resides in the town that you despise in another sport. So, needless to say, Portlanders who were also Seahawk fans really started to bother me. Look, you just need to pick a different team…it’s easy.
Coincidentally, my first fall there was Super Bowl XV, Pittsburgh v Seattle…the incessant whining about horrible/questionable refereeing took my disdain for that team to another level (look, I agree. Levy’s crew stunk that day and there may have been some favorable calls awarded to the Steelers…but, also, the refs weren’t to blame for preventing Willie Parker from getting into the open field and galloping 75 yards, throwing the ball to Ike Taylor, etc).
Then Russell Wilson happened. You really have to go out of your way to root against the guy, am I right? He is absolutely unflappable…it’s a joy to watch him play. They were down 20-0 today…on the road…remember, he’s a rookie. He didn’t blink. So smart, in control. Hell, I’m not even ashamed to say that they are now one of my favorite teams. I recall really liking him at Wisconsin last year…but just like everyone else outside of the Seattle front office, thought he didn’t have the size to get a chance in the NFL.
Barring injury, both Wilson and Kaepernick are going to be really good for a really long time. That NFC West is just crazy…recall, it was the laughingstock of the league just two years ago.
I remember coming home from the hospital with my newborn son and watching Charlie Whitehurst lead Seattle over St. Louis to finish 7-9 and WIN the division. Unfortunately, next week Saints fans had to endure this:
http://youtu.be/jBHk9rc4hHc
Now, for the foreseeable future, we see the reality that either Seattle or San Francisco will have to win at least 2 road games (and likely 3) to get to the Super Bowl.
In a move that will likely endear me to a certain interim tabbed blogger, I will be rooting for the 49ers. I have always liked Jim Harbaugh, Kaepernick is an amazing story, Michael Crabtree and their middle linebackers are incredible to watch, plus I think they have a MUCH better chance to beat New England or Baltimore in the Super Bowl (which needs to happen, thanks).
Up next: we get back to talking about the stock exchange.
-EM
