To what extent does your fandom influence your emotional state?
I don't think about it too often but it came up recently for me. I'm sure the range of answers is wide and complex, and I'm certainly not in a position to be prescriptive.
When Dave and I first met, we spent a lot of time hanging out in Blue Jays and Raptors fan groups on Facebook. The game threads were three-hour rollercoaster rides where the downhills often descended rapidly and dipped pretty low. Without the benefit of knowing these internet strangers as actual people, I “watched” people spiral into pits of despair (as much as you can in online comment form) several days a week. Online comments are often an exaggeration of a person’s actual state of mind, but at the surface, some of it bordered on an unhinged kind of fandom.
I'd like to think that Dave and I were more circumspect and recognized that a season is a marathon, and not a sprint. For me the first signs that we had a kinship were (1) he'd answer my dumb trivia questions in the game threads and (2) we never got particularly high or low no matter what the team did. We probably took different paths to this but I can say as a fan, I wasn't always looking at the big picture.
I was a Raptors season ticket holder for two of Vince Carter's final seasons in Toronto. During those years I watched every Raptors game from start to finish, and as the Raptors declined into basketball irrelevancy, I'd find my blood boiling with every Vince Carter DNP - injury, every Michael Bradley illegal screen, and every barely serviceable big man thrown onto the court to rack up six quick fouls. I'd leave the stadium angry, ride the subway home angry, and go to bed angry. When it came time to renew, I knew I had to walk away for both financial and mental health reasons.
It wasn't until months later that I was able to realize that the anger I channeled toward my Raptors fandom wasn't just about the Raptors being shitty — there was a lot going on elsewhere in my life. I had grown to hate my job and had quit it without having a new one, I had dipped into my savings and went into debt, and my long-term relationship was falling apart. It became apparent that I was going through an episode of depression (ironically I was diagnosed with a condition where I don't experience extreme highs and lows), and ventured into psychotherapy for the first time.
Over time I was able to come back to watching the Raptors on the regular without feeling that seething rage whenever a mistake or bad play was made (and, obviously, there are many within any one game). I don't really rage at all when I watch sports now. But when I'm seemingly overly emotional after my team does something stupid or shitty, and if I can catch myself feeling this way in the moment, it gives me pause to think about my reaction and whether there is more to it.
I don't really believe that sports alone can make or break somebody's mood completely in and of itself, but that's only been my experience. Based on that experience, though, I suppose it's not my fandom that's influencing my emotional state, but the other way around.
— JY
#morrquizpeterson
Today is August 10, i.e. 8/10, and this issue’s questions will all have something to do with 810 and/or 8s and/or 10s and/or 8/10.
According to Spotrac, the top two individual cap hits among NFL players for the upcoming season belong to quarterbacks drafted 8th overall and 10th overall. Name them.
Three active NBA players were born in Flint, Michigan (area code 810). All were first round picks. All have been traded by NBA teams based in Los Angeles to teams in the Eastern Conference. Two are former NBA champions, and played together on a title-winning team. One is the son of a former professional basketball player. One is a prominent investor. Name at least two of them.
The active NHL player closest to 810 career points (he has 807) is a former first-round pick, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, an Olympic gold medallist, and a World Junior Championships gold medallist, but perhaps most importantly, he grew up playing on the same Junior B team as Letterkenny and Shoresy star Jared Keeso and was once traded for a player who, with 800 points, is tied for next closest player to 810.
Celebrating a birthday today is what active MLB player, who has been a position player for two different teams and a pitcher for one. Hint: he has never hit for a team he's pitched for, or pitched for a team he's hit for.
Answers from last week’s issue
Two players in NHL history have worn #83 and won a Stanley Cup. Name them.
Jay Beagle wore #83 while winning a Stanley Cup with the Capitals, and Trevor Daley won with the Penguins and later wore #83 for the Red Wings.
Four receivers in NFL history wore #83 for at least one team, caught over 9,900 yards worth of passes, and made the Pro Bowl. All four starred in the AFC East at one point in their careers. Name three of them.
Andre Reed, Wes Welker, Santana Moss, Eric Moulds (who wore #83 in his forgettable final NFL season) are the droids we were looking for.
Among NBA players, Craig Smith (who?) is the only one to have worn #83. That said, only two NBA players have worn #84 — and while their careers never overlapped, they did play for the same franchise at one point. Name them.
Hall of Famer Chris Webber wore #84 in his homecoming season as a Detroit Piston. He began his career with the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards), where the illustrious Ron Baker also wore #84.
Among Major League pitchers, who is the all-time wins above replacement (WAR) leader for a player who wore #83?
Mascouche, Québec’s Éric Gagné joined the Boston Red Sox for their 2007 championship run, reversing his digits to #83. Why? The Red Sox already had a pitcher on their roster who wore #38 and was suspected of PED use.
#postscript
Many thanks to Morris Peterson for being named his name and to you for being named your name, unless your name is Pete Rose, who once again reminded us that he is a terrible person.
Until next week, be the Ezequiel Carrera you wish to see in the world.
— DJ/JY