Y

Jacob here.

This time of year I often ask myself  " Y ? "

Any sports fan will tell you that this one of the best times of the
year. NBA just started, College and Pro football are on TV everyday
but Tuesday, and baseball is finally out of the way.

But Y do I always happen to be a fan of the underdogs, the losers, the
close, but no championship cigars.

I grew up in AZ. I'm a root for the home team kind of guy. Suns.
Cardinals. Diamondbacks. Devils. Phil Mickelson ( Phil who? You might
ask. Tiger Woods lives in his shadow. But don't bring it up around
Tiger, he is really sensitive about it ). Also having gone to BYU, I
also am a fan of the "cougs." ( by principe I still root for any AZ
team over a UT team ).

The Diamondbacks won the World Series while I was serving my mission
in Texas. I had a local priest in the ward calling me after every
inning with updates. But they have been average since then.

The Arizona State football team looks like pee wee squad next to the
other Pac-10 teams.

The Cardinals are having a good season so far, fingers crossed, knock
on wood, finger on a screw, whatever, they will choke eventually.

The Suns have a good team, but they play in the Western Conference.
They will find a way to mentally loose in the playoffs to a team like
San Antonio before game one even starts. The Suns came close to
winning it all in 93. I remember praying for the Suns to beat the
Bulls during Sunday School. That's when I learned God doesn't have
time to care about sports--TiVo or no TiVo, he's must be to busy.

Phil is a good example. He is a good golfer, but he tries to hard to
win. That compounded with my steadfast faith that this will be the
year he will finally take his place as the guy who challenges Tiger,
but boom, scores like a 12 on par 3, I could do that Phil.

I'm not a fair-weather fan. I'm a fan, I think my team is going to
win, and when they aren't, I don't turn off the TV, I watch the whole
loss. Like last year when USC ate up then No. 6 Arizona State 44-24 in
Tempe. I could have left with 7:24 to play like everyone else. I know
ASU can't come back and win, but I want the loss to burn, I want to
suck in, and feel that hatred for USC rise inside me.

Thats the kind of fan I am.

So back to my question. Y do I always root for the team that is going
to lose? Is my fan-hood bring them down. Do I just want them to win so
much that the Sports Gods laugh and spite me.

This is the weekend that is hard to be a BYU football fan. On paper
Utah looks like a better team. But these games have been epic in
recent years. People lose and find their testimony over this game.

But I'm facing this battle I always face. Reality VS Fanality. Root
for BYU and be disappointed or root for Utah to go undefeated and once
again show the football world how bad the BSC system is.

( please no comments about sending positive vibes/thoughts into the
universe for the Y to win, I've read the secret, so have the U fans )

Regardless of the outcome I will root for the Y, even though I know
that four letters before it will come out on top.