Baseball fans: how did you choose which team to support?

Hi there,

I've recently been becoming quite interested in baseball, but I don't know which team I should support (as I'm from England) as I don't really know much about the teams (other than location and logos!). So far, I just understand the rules and think it's fun to watch. How did you choose your baseball team?

Thank you : )

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 1

T-Hill

11

Well it's not baseball, but to choose my basketball and american football teams,
I loaded up a page with all their logo's on, closed my eyes, and randomly picked one.

Does sound a bit stupid, but I've actually grown really attached to my teams now, still following them after about 6 years!

Reply 2

py0alb

3

There are lots of things to consider. Pick an East coast team so you can watch (at least the start of) their evening games. Pick a team with a chance of having a good season and getting to the playoffs (unless you're a masochist), but don't pick the Yankees.

Reply 3

Hester_23

I'm a Chicago bears American football fan, so naturally i went with the cubs as my baseball team, and the bulls with my basketball and blackhawks with hockey so on and so forth

Reply 4

IQ Test

OP

17

Would it make me a glory supporter if I supported the Red Sox because they're a Massachusetts (New England/ near to the U.K.) team? I ask because the Red Sox have a pretty good reputation.

Reply 5

Beleg Cuthalion

I can choose for you, the St. Louis Cardinals. I'm from St. Louis so that's pretty easy. They are pretty good too, second most series titles. It seems to me though, that most people outside the US are just fans of the Yankees.
Good to see there are baseball fans in the UK.

Reply 6

IQ Test

OP

17

Original post by Beleg Cuthalion

I can choose for you, the St. Louis Cardinals. I'm from St. Louis so that's pretty easy. They are pretty good too, second most series titles. It seems to me though, that most people outside the US are just fans of the Yankees.
Good to see there are baseball fans in the UK.

I like watching the catches, they seem to really get into it! I like watching cricket as well, but it's not as easy to see.

I don't want to support a team just because they win a lot, I want to support a team that are quite near (East Coast) so that I'd be able to watch them relatively easily if I went to visit. I'm considering supporting the Red Sox because a) they're an East Coast team, b) Massachusetts is home to Harvard University and M.I.T. (where Richard Feynman studied), c) the Kennedy brothers were from Massachussets and I thought they were good leaders and did good things for civil rights and d) because they're not a bad team, so they'd be better to watch. Do they seem like acceptable reasons?

Also, what sort of reputation do the Red Sox (and their fans) have?

Thank you, sorry about the long post! :redface:

Reply 7

Warrior King

17

Original post by IQ Test

Hi there,

I've recently been becoming quite interested in baseball, but I don't know which team I should support (as I'm from England) as I don't really know much about the teams (other than location and logos!). So far, I just understand the rules and think it's fun to watch. How did you choose your baseball team?

Thank you : )

I got family in NYC so I support the NYC teams in the major sports: New York Jets for NFL, New York Knicks for NBA, New York Red Bulls for MLS and finally.....NY Mets for MLB.

Can't stand the Yankees.

Reply 8

wdywuk

9

DBacks - from 98, thanks to Randy Johnson moving there from the Astros. Before that didn't follow anyone in particular, though Thurman Munsen was a name you could never forget so as a youngster I might have flirted briefly with the Evil Empire. A world Series, a couple of good runs in the playoffs and too many last place finishes!

Good advice above on an East coast team, better half follows the BoSox but getting tickets for Fenway is ....difficult to say the least!

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 9

Beleg Cuthalion

Original post by IQ Test

I like watching the catches, they seem to really get into it! I like watching cricket as well, but it's not as easy to see.

I don't want to support a team just because they win a lot, I want to support a team that are quite near (East Coast) so that I'd be able to watch them relatively easily if I went to visit. I'm considering supporting the Red Sox because a) they're an East Coast team, b) Massachusetts is home to Harvard University and M.I.T. (where Richard Feynman studied), c) the Kennedy brothers were from Massachussets and I thought they were good leaders and did good things for civil rights and d) because they're not a bad team, so they'd be better to watch. Do they seem like acceptable reasons?

Also, what sort of reputation do the Red Sox (and their fans) have?

Thank you, sorry about the long post! :redface:

Well I guess those are as good reasons as any. The Red Sox are pretty good, I'd definitely say one of the top five teams, at least in the past few years. They are known as the rivals of the Yankees (perhaps the greatest US sports rivalry), as are their fans of the Yankees' fans so that could be another reason to some. They are my second favorite team, so I hope they do well this year.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 10

alfee broad

which ever is less likely to get me killed

Reply 11

baseballfan2010

Original post by Beleg Cuthalion

I can choose for you, the St. Louis Cardinals. I'm from St. Louis so that's pretty easy. They are pretty good too, second most series titles. It seems to me though, that most people outside the US are just fans of the Yankees.
Good to see there are baseball fans in the UK.

I'm from Missouri, so the Cardinals are in my blood as well.

If you want a team that gets a lot of coverage, go with the Yankees or Red Sox. They are also the most despised, generally.

The Cardinals do have the second most WS wins, but they are not hated quite as much as the Yankees, because the Cardinals are not way ahead in WS wins (a few other teams have nine) and the Cardinals do not spend $200 million on a payroll like the Yankees do. Red Sox fans are known for being pretty obnoxious since they won in 04. They also have the second-highest payroll. That said, the Yankees fans are despised more than Red Sox fans. Neither are liked all that much.

The Cardinals biggest rivalry is with the Cubs. The Astros and Brewers previously were big rivals as well, and somewhat still are. The Reds are major rivals now, since they won the division last year.

Also, if you visit Busch Stadium is easy to access in Downtown St. Louis. Tickets are fairly affordable. The ballpark is comfortable. Wrigley Field, for all the hype, is a neat albeit very cramped stadium. I prefer the newer stadiums, but that is just me.

This article about Red Sox fans is pretty interesting
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/070829

Any fan base has annoying people, but the Yankees and Redsox fanbases tend to be the most hated.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 12

tehFrance

17

Went to a game when I was six, it was Yankees vs Red 'crappy' Sox at "The House that Ruth Built"... well long story short, Yankees won and I supported them ever since... I also take part in the rivalry ribbing when I go to the odd game (once a year) against the Sox's.

Baseball fans: how did you choose which team to support?

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