A little perspective for the realists

[Yasgur's Farm]

http://boards.buffalobills.com/showthread.php?t=145947

i dont post much here anymore but i wanted to share this...


I have always considered myself a huge Buffalo Bills fan...and i thought that is what it was a fanhood..i thought i was a Bills fanatic. But today i realized how much the Buffalo Bills are a part of my life.

As i said in the other thread my dad is dieing of cancer. i talked to him three times today and the only thing he and i talked about was the Buffalo Bills.

My dad hasnt always been a great father..He's been supportive and definitely loves me but he isnt the type of guy that gives you a hug and tells you he is proud of you. he just isnt an emotional guy...When we talk its about one thing...THE BILLS

Today as my dad laid in his bed on morphine in unbelieveable pain he didnt tell me how much pain he was in. he didnt tell me that he hopes he overcomes the cancer.

he asked me what i thought about mini camp...who i thought out of the rookie class would be the best. Who i think will star on offense this year..we talked about the Bills all three times.

I mean i asked how he was and all that as i am the worried son. But as always he doesnt show weakness to me. Instead we talked about the thing that has always tied us together. The football team we love...

This team is our relationship that has kept us close whether it was home in NY or if i was in Iraq it didnt matter...The only letter i specifically remember was where he sent me a letter telling me each draft pick and the positives and negatives he found online on each player.

What is the point of this email you might wonder? Today i learned its not a fan thing. We are all diehards that is certain.

But its not a fanhood....in some way i think the Bills are a big part of our life...Today i found out its a major part of a relationship ive known since i was born...And if it wasnt for them i dont know what it would be like...

Im not a fan...Im a person that lives for this team and they are a part of my life not a part of my fanhood...

[ddaryl]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

wow...pretty damn touching story... and I can identify... although my father was an emotional guy, we definitley spent a good portion of our conversations talking about the Bills and Sabres...

My emotional ties comes from the fact my father took me to many many games when I was a child in the 70's and 80's... and today there is no physical or mental way i could ever follow another foootball team... All of my emotional attachment is too the Bills and Sabres because of the times I had with Dad. My father passed away Sept 27 2008.. so now there is no more discussions with him... but I will always associate my passion for the Bills and Sabres with him... and the day the Bills win it all will be over whelmingly emotional.. hell I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it as I type this...

My favorite personal Buffalo sports story is when I was 12. My uncle has season Sabres tickets in the oranges at the old Aud (he and dad always had Bills seaosn tickets as well). My Dad would pick up a dozen tickets for the year off my uncles seasons, and we would go.. just me and him... My Dad was super cool and laid back and he would let me roam the aud during the game and check stuff out. I would always sneak down to the lower golds behind the net where the teams walked in and out of the dressing rooms (I had a knack for doing this as a youngster, they don't check the 12 year olds stubs) ... Coincidentally Gilbert Perrault and me share a birthday 11/13, and of course he was my childhood hockey hero... During one game I stayed until the stars were amnnounced.. and they would stand right next to me there in those gold seats. I asked Gilbert if I could have his stick from the game, and he handed it over to me right on the spot... Talk about a moment I still cherish to this day... and it was moments like that with my father. I still have that stick !!!!


Anywho... we all can get down on the losing ways of our Buffalo teams... but I will probably always beg for more even when its frustrating as hell... I'll ***** during the season if they do bad, but I always seem to return to optomism and hope heading into FA, the draft, training camp and preseason. It's extremely difficult for me to not look forward with optomism... I just want to watch them and hope each year is the year...

[FlyingDutchman]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

great story. i also share a common bond with my father and the bills. if the bills were to ever leave, i would lose a piece of my childhood along with something special i share with my dad.

[Mr. Pink]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

To play devil's advocate...

If your local team consumes you or what you base your relationship with a sibling, parent, etc on...What do you do when and if that franchise leaves?

There's a lot more commonality and certainties to life than a sports franchise.

I might be a little jaded over Art Modell still though.

[casdhf]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

like what ... a weekend fishing trip?

[Philagape]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

What does this have to with "realists"?
The dad's letter talked about the positives and negatives of draft picks, so sounds like he's a realist.

[ddaryl]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

T
If your local team consumes you or what you base your relationship with a sibling, parent, etc on...What do you do when and if that franchise leaves?
.

I'm sure those bonds will move to other things... But there is a tremendous amount of emotional bonding that does happen between family and friends that comes together for the local team.

I've always said if the Bills leave town I will have 0 emotional attachment to any other team, and my desire to even watch the NFL will erode to nothing... It's more about the Bills and that bond that I got from my family that drives my passion for football.. nothing else

[ddaryl]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

What does this have to with "realists"?
The dad's letter talked about the positives and negatives of draft picks, so sounds like he's a realist.

that's kinbd of a dig at optomists just the same... As an optomist I still look at all the negatives and positives of every player, and I also see our weaknesses just the same... I just rather spend more time hoping it comes together via coaching and offseaosn workouts and additions then to stew all offseason about how craptacular we could be, and all the things we failed to do that I wanted tosee get done...

Just wish, hope, pray for now and deal with reality when reality comes to fruition

[FlyingDutchman]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

To play devil's advocate...

If your local team consumes you or what you base your relationship with a sibling, parent, etc on...What do you do when and if that franchise leaves?

There's a lot more commonality and certainties to life than a sports franchise.

I might be a little jaded over Art Modell still though.

nobody said anything about basing their relationship on it...its like fishing...golf....just something than can be shared and enjoyed together

[Yasgur's Farm]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

Key word for the realists "enjoyed" not "commiserate".

[BuffaloBillsStampede]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

My mom actually got me into the Bills so I can relate with this story.

[Philagape]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

that's kinbd of a dig at optomists just the same... As an optomist I still look at all the negatives and positives of every player, and I also see our weaknesses just the same... I just rather spend more time hoping it comes together via coaching and offseaosn workouts and additions then to stew all offseason about how craptacular we could be, and all the things we failed to do that I wanted tosee get done...

Just wish, hope, pray for now and deal with reality when reality comes to fruition

I didn't say anything about optimists. Nor did I mean to. The term never occurred to me. I don't divide the two terms ... a realist can be an optimist (depending on the team). And both are fans.
A story like this is about how fanhood unites, but unfortunately it was presented as a dig when it has nothing to do with that division.

[OpIv37]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

that's kinbd of a dig at optomists just the same... As an optomist I still look at all the negatives and positives of every player, and I also see our weaknesses just the same... I just rather spend more time hoping it comes together via coaching and offseaosn workouts and additions then to stew all offseason about how craptacular we could be, and all the things we failed to do that I wanted tosee get done...

Just wish, hope, pray for now and deal with reality when reality comes to fruition

some of us would rather look at the positives and negatives and come up with a realistic prediction for the team and discuss that all off season (since there really is nothing else to discuss anyway). If the team looks craptacular, then that's what we discuss.

However, those of us who do that take a lot of crap because other people would rather hope than analyze.

[ServoBillieves]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

Very touching article.

I wrote something similar a while back about the connection with my sister and grandfather. My entire family consists of diehards, and most of our memorable family events revolved around the Bills or Sabres.

[yordad]

Re: A little perspective for the realists

Quite some time ago I hadn't talked to my Dad in about 10 years when I suddenly found myself in a waiting room at the hospital alone with him while his mother was dieing. We talked almost entirely about the Bills. Kind of strange.