just got fed up with seeing a full-color photo (usually large and above the fold) on the front page of the paper after every football game, whether they won or lost. Often with a headline about the results. And then, YEARS of treating fans badly - at one point people had to use a special credit card (MasterCard or Visa) with the football team's mark on it to buy season tickets. The previous owner built a new stadium out in Maryland that's not easily accessible by public transit (which means fewer fans crowding the Metro on weekends, which is fine). Then they instituted fairly high parking fees; when some fans tried parking in a parking lot nearby that was empty on Sundays, they had security guards blocking their direct path to the stadium and forcing them to walk the long way around (the official story was that it was for safety reasons, but someone pointed out that the long way around involved a lot of walking on busy streets with no sidewalks and no marked crossings). Then there was the fuss when, for one game that was supposedly sold out, there was a mass of people attending from the opposing team (turned out that several thousand tickets were released to a ticket broker ... but weren't available directly to locals). Then there was the story about the woman - retired, a grandmother - who was going to have to file for bankruptcy because she couldn't fulfill her contract to buy season tickets (she didn't have the money for the tickets, they refused to speak to her when she called, and were holding her to the purchase agreement ... after which they would repossess the tickets and re-sell them). There was also the man who'd signed a contract for season tickets but didn't check off how many years he wanted it for ... so someone at the sales office checked off the longest period (wouldn't tht be considered fraud?). The team management encourages tailgate parties before games and beer sales during ... but there have been stories about security being either inadequate to control aggressive drunks or unwilling to break up fights. Then they started not only forbidding people to bring in their own food and drink, but searching people as they entered the stadium, to make sure they had to purchase overpriced stuff from the concession stands. Finally, when fans started waving derogatory signs during games, they banned all signs. And they're losing. Badly.

Let me introduce you to Jerry Jones and his Death Star.

Hockey!

OMG. I lived within earshot of the Joe Louis Arena in '95. Not that I knew it was earshot until the final game of the series. But that wasn't as dramatic as living near downtown Montreal in 1993. Or working in Chelsea at any freaking time at all.

People is crazy.

But being a fan can be fun. Supporting the Jamaican Bobsled team? Nothing but a good time.

But being a fan can be fun. Supporting the Jamaican Bobsled team? Nothing but a good time.

Exactly! And it's fun to root for an underdog team which ... the Mets are most of the time (sob).

Yankees are okay with me, Trudy. First, because we didn't get a local team till I was like twenty-three or something so I have no childhood rivalry to play upon and trying to get in one seems as authentic to me as one of those prefab "Irish pubs". Second, they make my Newsguy Boyfriend happy and he's a big fanboy geek.

Word has frozen with three documents open. I've been burnt twice so far this month by Autosave not actually Autosaving. Do I three finger salute, or do I...why am even asking? I need to cancel out of the app and hope for the best.

You should be able to see if the temporary backup files exist.

I coughed! It doesn't count if I'm self-deprecating about it.

You are absolutely right, coughing negates the whatnot.

Last time there were none. This time, I lost my last burst of work on all files. But at least there was something. The builds on these boxes are hella locked down, and hella buggy. I actually had the whole box blue screen of death with system dump on me a few days ago. Wouldn't restart until I popped out the laptop battery and put it back in.

After me just saying here that I was too new to gossip, one of my co-workers stopped by and had a tete-a-tete with me that was very collegial and nigh-gossipy. I may be IMing dish in no time.

Let me introduce you to Jerry Jones and his Death Star.

Tea. Up. The. Nose.

And P-C, even back in the day, players for a city's team were rarely from that city. If they were, then it was the "Hometown Boy Makes Good" story. For example, Walter Johnson, who was one of the earliest celebrated players in Major League Baseball was born in Kansas, grew up in California, but spent the entirety of his career with the Washington Senators. (1907-27)

One of Ty Cobb's nicknames was The Georgia Peach because that's where he was from, but he played with the Detroit Tigers.

I think what you're doing is confusing what the modern era of sports has become since the advent of free agency. Before that, it was very common for players to spend the majority, if not the entirety of their careers with the same team, which accorded them almost hometown status. Or at the very least, a proprietary sense amongst the fans.

For a modern example, Brett Favre until he lost his mind.

I still find it kind of weird that neither of Archie Manning's sons are playing in New Orleans, but I suppose we couldn't afford them. (Go Brees!)