In baseball, this year’s World Series just went to game six as the Phillies won game 5. I’m not a Phillies fan or Yankees fan. I don’t really have a preference to win the series, however there are a lot of people who do. Not all of us are sports fanatics, but a good majority of us have a team that we live or die with. We are so connected with that team that every piece of news, every point or run scored effects our body and mind. I moved to Arizona when I was 10 and have since become a big fan of both the Diamondbacks and the Suns. I was born and and spent most of my early years in Chicago. I was raised a White Sox fan and was tolerable of the Cubs. I didn’t really pay a lot of attention to the Bulls or the Bears. That being said, with exception of the 1985 Bears, as a kid, I didn’t see my share of success with regards to my teams. Even in ‘85 I was too young to really understand the Bears and what the Superbowl meant. I became a Suns fan before the Bulls went on their dynasty run. That being said, I do  remember the 1993 NBA Finals when the Suns played the Bulls as it was a big deal in my house since we were from Chicago. I was pretty young at the time so while I have memories, they are not as strong as those of the 2001 World Series, Yankees vs. Diamondbacks.

Many people put the 2001 World Series as one of the top 10 World Series of all times. It had it’s up and downs for both teams as each game was won by the home team. I think I had at least four near heart attacks over the course of that week and a half. The funny part is, every play of that World Series depended on me! It didn’t depend on the players playing the game. It didn’t depend on the umpires, or the weather or the fans at the game. It was all about me. I know I’m not alone in this. Throughout the series I remember multiple times turning off the television thinking that the Diamondbacks were losing because I was watching. If I just turned it off they would be winning again. It was like there was some great conspiracy that I wasn’t allowed to watch my team win.

Game 7 was a nightmare. I remember watching the game from my apartment with my girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife. There were times in the late innings where I had to step out of the room and walk around. My wife at one point asked me what was wrong as I had a frantic look on my face. I remember telling her how these games stressed me out so much. At the time my heart rate was sky high. I just wanted it to be over, it was just too much to handle. Luckily 30 minutes later we were celebrating a Diamondback’s championship.

To this day I still get stressed over games with my teams. I still have the habit of turning off the TV if my team is losing, not because I am a fair weather fan, but because I still get that feeling that if I don’t watch, my team will win. Sometimes I will leave the game on and walk to the other room and watch from a far or just listen. I guess this makes it so that if something bad happens it won’t be so bad because I’m only half paying attention.

When not in the heat of the moment, it seems silly to get so wrapped up in the emotion of the game. It’s absolutely ridiculous that we feel like we can impact the game by walking into the other room, or taking a drink or wearing a lucky hat. Despite that, I personally wouldn’t have it any other way. Theses moments are one of the things that make sports so great. Even as fans we feel the emotion the players do. We don’t have to have the ability to hit a 3 pointer or hit a ball 400 feet to feel the excitement of the game. Even though as fans we are not on the field we are as much part of the game as the ball it self. Our commitment to our teams allow them to survive and play the next day with a purpose.