My Favorite Teams in the 4 major sports:
*Note: I did not start following sports with a true passion and love until 1987. That is when I first started to learn about the players and the teams and everything else that comes with being a fan. (My teams were the 49ers, Giants, and Warriors)
Football
1. 1987 - 1988 San Francisco 49ers: My dad was and is a die hard 49er fan. I began watching them in ‘87 and had that same die hard passion. For 2 years I was a fanatic. Joe Montana, Roger Craig, Charles Haley, Ronnie Lott, Tom Rathman, and Jerry Rice were just a few of the players that I loved growing up. In 1987 when the Minnesota Vikings upset the Niners in the playoffs, I was devastated. The day they won the Super Bowl over the Cincinnati Bengals in 1988 is also a day I will never forget. I was at my Uncle Tom’s and they intense joy that was felt in the room when Taylor caught that pass is something I will always cherish. Bill Walsh retired that day and I was crushed. As an 8 year old, I did not understand that people retire and that players could leave a team. And players left. When George Seifert took over, He began to disassemble the team I had grown to love. Lott, Craig, Michael Carter, Keena Turner, Bill Romanowski, Chet Brooks, Guy McIntyre were all leaving. They were leaving to teams that I couldn’t root for. Teams I wouldn’t root for. But I hated the 49ers for breaking up my team. I put all the blame on Seifert and there is a part of me that still does. As a defensive coordinator, he got rid of mostly defensive guys and I think he felt he could get anybody to come in and play defense. The last draw was 1992 when my two favorite players, Montana and Haley, were sent packing. Seeing Lott, Craig, and Rathman in Black and White was bad enough, but to see the team I loved release Haley and trade Montana made me want to spit in Seifert’s face.
2. 1992 - today Dallas Cowboys: As you can see by my choice for #2, I followed Haley to Dallas instead of Montana to Kansas City (however, I did root for KC when Montana was there). I began to love the play of Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Darryl Johnston, Jay Novacek, Leon Lett, and Darren Woodson. Jimmy Johnson had created a great ballclub and Haley was the final piece to the defense. I hated myself for “jumpin’ on the bandwagon” of the Cowboys but I was so mad with the 49ers that I had to get my revenge. My revenge was rooting for the team that booted them out of the playoffs. Being 12 at the time was a big part of it too. Becoming a teenager, I of course wanted to do the opposite of my parents. My dad stuck with the 49ers, so what better than to root for the Cowboys. That wasn’t the reason I did it, but thinking back, I’m sure it played a role. Anyways, because of my jump from one team to another, I have stayed true to the Cowboys. I have stuck with them through Jimmy Johnson’s firing, Barry Switzer’s hiring, Michael Irvin and Leon Lett’s legal problems, and 5-12 seasons most recently. Seeing Novacek, Johnston, Irvin, and Aikman retire has been hard. Hearing of Mark Tuinei’s death was rough too. I do feel like a die hard fan even if it was a rocky beginning.
3t. 1990 - 1991 Philadelphia Eagles: The initial shock of the 49ers personnel moves after the retiring of Walsh was gut renching and I looked to other teams immediately. Randall Cunningham became me new favorite QB, taking nothing from Montana. I didn’t get to see how mobile Montana really was earlier in his career and Cunningham was incredible as a runner as well as a passer. Cunningham, and the Gang Green defense that Buddy Ryan had put together made the Eagles of the early ‘90’s fun to watch. Jerome Brown, Reggie White, Seth Joyner, and Eric Allen were relentless and exciting. The loss in the infamous “Fog Bowl” was almost as upsetting as the 49ers ‘87 loss to the Vikings and the Cowboys ‘94 loss to the Niners.
3t. 1980 -1987 Chicago Bears: The Monsters of the midway were nice, but my favorite player of all time is Walter Payton. Montana, Haley, Smith, and Cunningham are nowhere near the league I put Payton in. I know I didn’t get to see much of Payton’s career live. In fact, I think I only saw him once or twice live. But from the film I have watched, there was nobody better. Those Chicago Bears teams were great and Singletary is one of my favorite defensive players ever. But the only reason I put the Bears on this list was because of Payton.
Baseball
1. 1987 - 1992 San Francisco Giants: I am a die hard Giants fan. But I have broken up the years of the Giants because my favorite player ever in any sport, Kevin Mitchell, was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Bill Swift, Mike Jackson, and Dave Burba. Granted it was a good trade for the Giants. Granted Mitchell never matched his 1989 MVP numbers due to injuries. But my favorite team getting rid of my favorite player was hard to cope with. As you will see by the rest of the rankings, I still am a Giants fan. I have forgiven the Giants for their "mistake" because it was actually a great move in helping to bring Barry Bonds to San Francisco and turn around a franchise still reeling from their World Series sweep by the A’s and the October 3 Earthquake.
2. 1997 - today San Francisco Giants: I believe in Dustiny! Baker had great talent on his 1993 ballclub and he lost most of it in the next 3 years. the 1994 strike killed the career of Matt Williams. Will Clark was traded. Swift and Burkett tailed off tremendously after 20 win seasons in ’93. The team was in shambles. Baker rebuilt it with the help of Brian Sabean. They have created a respected team and overall franchise. The creation of Pac Bell Park, the re-signing of Bonds, and the commitment to a winner has made me love the Giants again. I never left whole-heartedly, but it was nice to feel total elation again about the Giants.
3t. 1993 San Francisco Giants: I was trying to boycott the Giants because of their trade of Mitchell. Then along comes the best player in baseball, Bonds, to replace him and Baker to replace Roger Craig. All the pieces were their for a World Series run. I couldn’t help but cheer for the Giants.
3t. 1992 - 1996 Cleveland Indians: I had to do something. Mitchell was gone to the Mariners, then the Reds, then the....I had to find a more concrete solution. While I rooted for whoever Mitchell was playing for, I needed a team, and preferably in the American League. The Indians were loaded with young talent. Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga, and Kenny Lofton led a great group of young players who were reminiscent of the Major League bunch in the classic movie. I tried to cheer the team on. But in my heart, I wanted to cheer for the Giants. The Matt Williams trade to Cleveland was a trade for me too. I was able to go back to the Giants because I saw that Baker and Sabean were doing something special in San Francisco.
Basketball
1. 1987 - today Golden State Warriors: Finally we have a team I have always rooted for. From Run TMC, to Chris Webber, to Joe Smith, to Todd Fuller(not kobe), I have lived and died(died mostly) with my Warriors.
2. 1987 - 1997 New York Knicks: Charles Oakley. My favorite basketball player. The Heart and Soul of the tough minded Knicks. Oakley and Patrick Ewing gave me a team I could root for in the post season, as my Warriors seem to have a tough time getting there. I was demoralized when Oakley was traded for Marcus Camby. Camby is hands down the biggest stiff in the league and his lack of success in New York is one of my great thrills in sports. David Robinson and Tim Duncan’s bitch slapping of him in the Finals was one of my great joys in sports.
3. 1998 - 2000 Toronto Raptors: I had to, Oakley was traded here. But Vince Carter helped me enjoy watching Oakley with another team a little bit with his fearless and mind boggling dunks. I still enjoy watching Carter but I don’t care if they win or not now that Oakley is no longer there.
Hockey
1. 1991 - today San Jose Sharks: I hated hockey before San Jose got a franchise. The Sharks became my team by default, but over the years I have grown to really enjoy watching the Sharks. I still have a hard time watching two teams play hockey if the Sharks aren’t playing.
2. 1991 - 1994 Boston Bruins: Trying to find good players in hockey when you know nothing about it is tough. But I did find the Bruins and enjoyed Ray Bourque and Cam Neely in their prime. Neely’s retirement coincided with the Sharks improvement and I think I will stick with my Hometown.
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