Plenty of Reasons For Fans to Cheer Up
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The month of August was rife with arrogance, malfeasance and criminality in professional sports, but all is not lost for cynical fans seeking a new start.
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Tim Jarrett understands what I'm saying. What a great Superbowl, and what an opportunity for Boston sports fans to learn the value in losing. What? Value in losing? You bet.  It wasn't that long ago when Boston was one of the best cities in the USA for sports precisely because Boston teams were such spectacular losers. I'll never forget the misery of the Dowbrigade after the Red Sox lost something (or did they win, I forget). They must have lost because he swore he'd never let them break his heart again the way they had for his whole life (he's about my age). Losing teaches you that there's more to life than winning, and that's the best lesson possible and it's the one lesson you keep needing to learn over and over until you lose everything, which like it or not is what we all do in the end. People write poetry about losing, great music is composed about lost causes. Who writes an ode to winning? They're too busy getting drunk or getting laid.  Never have I loved a team more or felt more kinship with my fellow fans than when our team goes down in flames after a season of great ups and downs. No doubt there are no smiles or tears of joy in Boston today. But there is hope. And that, even when you win, is all that's left after a great season.
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Boxers relish the idea of fighting in front of their hometown crowd. It's an opportunity for them to soak up the adoration of a throng of loving fans, while showing all those past doubters why they were wrong.
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This season, you could be cheering for the Boston Celtics, brought to you by Dunkin' Donuts. Or Foxwoods. Or Mohegan Sun.
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The West Indies arrived home to cheering fans , celebrating its surprise victory in the Champions Trophy in England and recalling the devastating hurricanes that inspired them to win.
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It is a series that fills Boston Red Sox fans with dread, New York Yankee supporters with giddy confidence and has left Major League Baseball and television executives smiling from ear-to-ear.
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Stand up and cheer for the giant or the underdog -- or perhaps both.
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ou have a friend who is a Boston Red Sox fan. A good, loyal friend. A confidant you can pity. Boy, you say to him, the Sox are strong this year.
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The optimists among Rutgers fans were delighted, but the Scarlet Knights still gave the pessimists something to worry about.
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Duke knows how to perform in front of a full house, even when most of the fans are rooting for the other team.
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Outwardly, they are saying the right things, telling the world they understand why the Patriots, a team they beat during the regular season, a team with a worse record, and a team that is playing on the road, is a 3-point favorite over them.
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Esteban Loaiza got an ovation from the fans at Yankee Stadium, the game ball from Mariano Rivera, the lineup card from Joe Torre and his 100th win as a big-leaguer last night.
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There are a few more souvenir stands, quite a few more merchandise stands and a little different feeling among the fans at the Metrodome.
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David Stern is happy that win-thirsty Celtics fans have a potentially stellar team to root for again with the offseason additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. And the NBA commissioner is also happy for the league, too, in terms of how it could benefit if the Celtics become a power again.
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The Saints' first win back in their refurbished stadium serves as a boost for the struggling city's spirits
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An ecstatic Alessandro Del Piero, scorer of three goals in the last two games, was full of praise for his team following their latest win.
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The Boston College fans, with their gold shirts, chants, and spirit sticks, were ready. The Boston University fans, clad in red, were ready. The teams and coaches were more than ready.