My Sports Theory

Warning: Sports-related blog entry.

I would like to put down on paper what I know to be true in my head. My theory is that sports teams that I follow do much better after I leave town. Let's review the evidence:

1988, 1989: When I was a kid, I was a huge Oakland A's fan. I remember watching Mark McGwire as a rookie, Dave Kingman, the strike out king, and the pig-headed Jose Canseco. I even obtained Dennis Eckersley's autograph in the parking lot after one of the games (my uncle knew Vance Law). We moved from the Bay Area in 1988 to outside of Sacramento - not too far. The A's then went (and subsequently lost) to their first World Series since the 1970s. Then in 1989 we moved across the country to Florida where everyone was a Braves fan for some reason. That very same year, not two months after the move, the A's won the World Series.


1995: FSU Football: Probably my weakest example, because FSU football was awesome from 1987 to 2000. I went to BYU in 1995, and while at BYU, I had to watch from afar FSU play in three straight national championship games (1999, 2000 and 2001), winning in 2000.



1996: Went to BYU for the 1995-1996 school year before my mission. It was one of BYU Football's worst years in quite some time (8-4) and the first year in 17 years they weren't invited to a bowl game. This actually came as a great relief since I was in the BYU Band and I didn't really want to interrupt my Christmas break to fly back to attend whatever lowly bowl game they got into. However, in 1996, months after I left the US (I actually could hear the first couple games of the 1996 season from the Provo MTC) they finished 14-1, ranked #5 in the country.


In my one year in the band, I did once mark the far NE tip of the "S" in Cougars when we spelled it.
2001: After enduring thoroughly mediocre BYU football years during my tenure at BYU, I moved to Chicago in 2001. And of course, the BYU football team is resurgent. They start their season 12-0, before losing their last couple games. It is the first time they end their season ranked since 1996.

2004: I move from Chicago to Houston after finishing law school. While in Chicago I adopted the Chicago White Sox. We could see the stadium from our apartment and I would often be alerted to the fact that a game was going on by the fireworks (which shot out for White Sox home runs). The very next year, Chicago faces Houston in the world series, with Chicago (White Sox) winning easily.



2008: I move from Houston, winding up in Manila, after a brief pit stop in DC (DC did not have any teams worth cheering for). While in Houston, I went to quite a few Rockets games. My law firm had a suite that we used quite a bit (for both business and personal) and it really was a great way to watch basketball. The Houston Rockets have always had a great team, but they could never make it past the first round of the playoffs. This year, they had two things going for them: first and foremost, I had moved away. I was there for the 2008 playoff debacle, not there this time. Second, Tracy McGrady was injured. Since Tracy McGrady has a me-first attitude in a team sport, he always felt it was up to him to get the Rockets past the first round. And since he is injured, they finally could. Who knows? They could unseat the highly favored Lakers and go all the way.



So there you have it. That's the evidence. And in each case, the sport in question was the sport I followed the most at that time. The only exception might be the Houston Rockets, since I paid equal attention to the Houston Astros, which had some flashes, but could never put it all together while I was there.