Can I Pick 'Em...Or Can I Pick 'Em?

Actually, no, I can't.

But picking may not be the appropriate word. Rooting is more accurate. Because who one picks to win is not necessarily who one roots for.

After the 2007 World Series, I paused to contemplate in this post how bad my rooting interest had been in the World Series. I always ended up rooting for one team over the other, and yet the team I chose to root for won only 27% of the time in the past 40 years.

In other words...I'm sort of a jinx. If I root for your team, there's a 73% chance they'll lose.

Okay, I know, statistics don't exert influences. But you should get the point. I'm far more likely to root for the eventual loser than the winner.

Perhaps it's that I tend to root for the underdog unless I have some other rooting interest. But I'm here writing this post now in order to tell you, it's just not in baseball.

I have the same problem in football.



The first Super Bowl that I remember was at age 5, the Jets/Colts match up in Super Bowl III. I don't remember even watching the game at all (I was a kindergartener), and I don't remember who I was for (probably nobody), but I remember the hubbub about Joe Namath, who became a larger than life celebrity for a good portion of my early years.

The first Super Bowl that I really remember was the following year, 1970, and I was thoroughly convinced that no AFL team could defeat the mighty Minnesota Vikings. My brother was for the Chiefs. I remember getting all upset (made exponentially worse by the gloating and taunting my brother liked to engage in) when the Chiefs went up 3-0, then 6-0, then I think eventually 16-0 before the Vikings scored later in the game.

Despite the whoopin' they took, I, to this day, believe the Vikings should have won that game.

Fortunately, I did win one the following year, rooting for the Colts over the Cowboys. Then I hit another dry spell.

The next several years I didn't win. I didn't root for another winner until 1977's Oakland Raiders led by the great Madden.

Here's my sad history, for whoever I'm rooting for tomorrow:
1970- Vikings. Lost.
1971- Colts. Won.
1972- Dolphins. Lost.
1973- Redskins. Lost. I went back and forth on this one. I liked both teams, so it was hard to choose between the undefeated Dolphins and George Allen's squad. I chose unwisely.
1974- Vikings. Lost.
1975- Vikings. Lost.
1976- Cowboys. Lost.
1977- Raiders. Won. I liked both teams. But how could I root for the Vikings after 3 previous miserable losses? I'm glad I didn't.
1978- Broncos. Lost.
1979- Steelers. Won.
1980- Rams. Lost.
1981- Raiders. Won.
1982- 49ers. Won.
1983- Redskins. Won.
1984- Redskins. Lost.
1985- 49ers. Won.
1986- Bears. Won.
1987- Broncos. Lost.
1988- Redskin. Won.
1989- 49ers. Won.
1990- 49ers. Won.
1991- Giants. Won.
1992- Redskins. Won.
1993- Bills. Lost.
1994- Bills. Lost.
1995- Chargers. Lost.
1996- Steelers. Lost.
1997- Patriots. Lost.
1998- Broncos. Won.
1999- Falcons. Lost.
2000- Rams. Won.
2001- Giants. Lost.
2002- Rams. Lost.
2003- Raiders. Lost.
2004- Panthers. Lost.
2005- Eagles. Lost.
2006- Steelers. Won.
2007- Bears. Lost.
2008- Giants. Won.

That's a 17-22 record, a .435 winning percentage. Not near as bad as my World Series rooting, but by no means good.

It's not quite jinx-dom territory, but admit it- you don't want me pulling for your team, do you?

So rejoice, Steelers fans, I'm pulling for the Cardinals.