Baseball trades - rooting for the logo?

[Marthe48]

My husband has always been a Reds fan. We were married in 1971, so I watched a lot of The Big Red Team through the 70's. Back then, the main stars of a team stayed put. John's been sick this year, so he's watching a lot of sports on TV. It seems to me that the team members don't have a chance to gel because they get traded off so fast. Last year and this, The Reds traded some of their most promising players and lost some of their best combinations of players. I told John I feel like the fans end up rooting for the logo. I felt like I cared more for the 70's Reds, the team members as a team, then I do now, when I wonder who gets traded next and what is their management thinking!?

[NightWatcher]

1. If it doesn't look like you are going to make the playoffs, many teams unload high priced talent

to teams that are still competitive. It is essentially renting talent from other teams for a month or two to either make the playoffs or trim some salary so you can sign someone in the off season.

There are many aspects of "new baseball " that I hate so much.

I'm already looking forward to Spring Training.

Go Marlins....but damn their owner.

[Marthe48]

2. didn't work for Jay Bruce :(

I read that he's hit a slump since he went to the Mets. He was so good with the Reds, darn it. Yeah, the Reds peaked way early, again But Cleveland has a chance, maybe. And that's my home town.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

3. There're a lot of things that make you root for a team long term.

For Cubs fans, a lot of the mojo is the park. Wrigley Field is a baseball cathedral with a degree of intimacy you don't see anymore in the majors. That intimacy can form a connection among the fans as wells fans to players that survives trades and retirements.

[Marthe48]

5. That's a good reason

Seems like the stadiums I heard about when I was younger are gone, too.

[OriginalGeek]

4. By all rights I should be a Reds fan

The first baseball game my dad ever took me to was to see the Reds play somebody. It was probably 68 or 69. I was 5 or 6 and we lived for a year or so in Florence, KY which is right across the river from Cincinnati. I know Pete Rose and Johnny Bench were there and I got a bat with Bobby Tolan written on it. But we moved pretty soon after that and I ended up in Dallas where my dad took me to many Rangers games so I've been a fan of them for pretty much ever.

But I still root for the Reds (as long as they aren't interfering with the Rangers). My wife's dad used to go fishing with Joe Oliver and his dad (Joe's dad worked with my wife's dad). It was fun watching him knock in a run during the 1990 World Series and be thinking "Hey! I married to a lady whose father knows they guy who is the father of that guy!"

My little brother had a stuffed dog he named Toby after Toby Harrah of the Rangers. I remember watching Bobby Bonds hit back-to-back 3-run home runs. Later, when I got older, my friends and I loved getting 4 dollar bleacher seats and drinking beer and eating hot dogs.

but yeah, other than occasionally noting where the Rangers are in the standings, I don't follow baseball as much as I did back then. And I think a sizable part of that is because there's no "team" any more. Just the collection of guys you bought to hit balls.

[Marthe48]

6. That's how I feel

I've only gone to a few games, 2 farm teams and the Cleveland-Pittsburgh interleague in 1997. I feel that my husband is the fan and I'm a tag-along, but you said what I was feeling. Thanks

[Iggo]

7. We call it Rooting For Laundry, and yeah, I do it.

I root for whoever's wearing the uniform.

[OriginalGeek]

8. I have a friend who was a HUGE Houston Oilers fan

he was hurt when they moved to Tennessee and crushed when Houston got another team. He's in fan limbo - nobody has the logo he grew up loving and he just doesn't care enough about either of the two teams now to even work up a cheer. He lives here in Florida and doesn't care about these teams either lol. I think he just roots for whoever he has money on now.

If the Cowboys ever move I will probably just give up NFL. I mean, I'll watch the Superbowl and maybe a game or two here and there but I won't care any more. At least I'll still have FSU.

[Marthe48]

9. That's funny :)

think I'll pass it along