Readers all -

Sorry for the inexcusable lack of blogging recently. I had a busy weekend and none of it involved work but rather 5 hours of museum visiting and a night of cousin visiting. Fun yes, but it kept me separated from my reader(s). With that said...

I just want my team to win. Any team.

I have four teams I root for: three Indiana teams and the Cubs. Of course, the Cubs are the only team that I am obsessed with. I love the rest of my teams, but the borderline manic obsession is not there. The issue with all this is, I love my teams, but they're all losers. Or, at least they have all been losers while I have followed them. My case:

The Hoosiers: Okay, maybe this one isn't fair. They consisently made the tournament and rattled of many a 20 win season under one Bobby Knight. But I'm not sure who is more responsible for them choking though - Bobby or his players. During my four year tenure at IU, the Hoosiers never made it past the second round, and twice were eliminated in the first. A very frustrating four years, as I was raised on Indiana basketball (that was half the reason that I wanted to go to IU). Of course, the year after I leave, they make the damn final game. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, it's just that I'm complaining. I gave my heart and soul to that damn team, and they didn't have the decency to win while I was in town. That being said, they suck pretty hard right now (excepting a recent OT win over Michigan State). But Byron over at the Cubdom, Cubs Blog Army, and about 47 other blogs could tell you about that more. He actually has to be there while this program falls apart.

then we have...

The Pacers: I love the Pacers, but I don't really like NBA basketball. I'm usually happier when I can follow the Pacers but not watch the games (except the playoffs). This year, I thought they would be my best chance to root for a champion. They had a terrific starting five and an impressively deap bench. I thought they would easily reach the finals until...The Incident. One cup of ice and suddenly half the Pacers team is gone. All of a sudden, there are two Joneses in the starting lineup...wha happen? This has just been a terribly frustrating season as the Pacers went from the Beast of the East to...worse than the Bulls (?!?). Unbelievable. Actually, the Pacers aren't even as frustrating as...

The Colts: Where to start? More offensive talent than Andrew Dice Clay (hint: offensive can be pronounced two ways) but their defense is like cloth diapers: leaky (these analogies are pretty bad - what can I say, I'm no poet). Anyway, I had high hopes going into the playoffs. Frankly, I think everyone did. They were unstoppable! Peyton was a god! exclamation point! After the first round against Denver, I doodling all over my lab book: Mr. Jason Manning, Mr. and Mr. Peyton Manning (hmmm, maybe I'm saying too much). He was the greatest, I hadn't had a non-sexual man crush like this since Hee Sop Choi (I'm still mad about that). And then...the fall. I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Once again, I was forced in the offseason to pretend yet another team of mine didn't exist. Sort of like the last two devistating years with...

The Cubs: I don't think there is an need to discuss them here. But, I will say this. My lovely wife and I are back in Chicago, we are here to enjoy a full season in Wrigleyville...there has never been a better time for the Cubs to win it all. Lets Go Cubbies!!!!!!

P.S. we are playing our arch rivals in volleyball tonight. Send some good Karma my way so I can report back with a stuning victory.