Musings from a Bleacher Creature

New England fans' expectations are not realistic. With the Sox, Patriots, and Celtics winning a combined six championships in less than a decade, it is understandable their fans demand a lot from their teams. However, I am sick and tired of hearing Patriot fans whine about the team's prospects during the dark days after Brady's injury. I can not recall ever hearing fans claim a 5-3 record is unacceptable. Are you kidding me? I dread the day when the Bruins become a legitimate contender. This is why I take pleasure in not being a New England sports fan. Yes, I am a Red Sox fan, but that is all. In fact, the only other professional sports team I follow is the Carolina Panthers. This provides me a very interesting perspective on sports.

Unlike the Sox, the Panthers do not receive any media from the national press. Sadly, I have yet to watch a game in its entirety this year. CBS and Fox are generous enough to give me a glimpse of my boys once in a while. These stations must believe they are doing me a favor, when they state they will air in-progress games after the nationally televised game ends. However, just as my hopes flourish for a matter of seconds, all I get to see is Jake Delhomme take a few knees to end the game. I must say his form is impeccable.

I always moderate my expectations with the Panthers. In 2001, Carolina taught me not only could losing be bearable, but it could be humorous as well. After starting the year with a win against Minnesota, the Panthers lost 15 consecutive games to finish the season. It was futility at its finest. I will always remember the figure of Heisman winner Chris Weinke taking the field before every drive. I know players do not always come across as the most intelligent beings, a la Eli Manning, but Weinke looked completely lost without any semblance of an idea of what to do with his offense. Adding to the comedic value of these moments were the reactions of Carolina's drunken faithful, who found humor in the name "Weinke" and made the most obvious innuendos for entertainment. George Seifert certainly didn't ease the confusion. He roamed the sidelines with a perpetual look that just screamed, "I can not wait until I'm fired, so I can get out of this city." That's the thing. Charlotte just is not a sports town-unless you consider NASCAR to be a sport. Most Panthers' fans take solace in the fact that the Daytona 500 would only be two months away after the last game of the season.

Surprisingly, after that abysmal 1-15 season, the Panthers surged in the 2002 campaign with a fierce defense anchored by Julius Peppers and Mike "After Dinner" Minter. Then, in 2003 they shocked the sports world by making it to the Super Bowl against the Patriots. Let's not talk about how that one finished up. What I am trying to get at is the NFL is known for its parody. Year after year another team emerges that makes us all scratch our heads and wonder, "When did this team get good?" This year we have the undefeated Tennessee Titans, who are led by journeymen Kerry Collins, as a perfect example. Even with Tom Brady, I do not think the Patriots would dominate the league in the same fashion they did in their unbelievable 16-0 regular season. Some people have completely thrown in the towel on this team. Hello! They are in the thick of the standings in a competitive AFC East. One of my friends, who will remain nameless, admits the Patriots will likely make the playoffs, but does not care because according to him, "they won't make a run during then." I guess I missed a very important memo. When did losing in the playoffs signify an unsuccessful season? All Patriot fans and New England fans in general need to take a seat and realize how pompous and ridiculous they sound.

I'll admit your team is not flirting with perfection as they did last year, but being a fan means more than cheering on your team in the best of times. It is a simple fact that if your team won year-after-year, fanhood would lose its beauty and fun. Suffering through unsuccessful seasons makes celebrating the championships so much sweeter. Just think about how we would have felt if the Red Sox had not endured an 86 year drought before the magic of 2004. After one of my friends, who is a diehard Patriots fan, read the first few sentences of this column, he literally started to scream at me. Expletives filled our hall, as he belittled my character and my home city. Due to this rant, I have contacted many counselors in the region. I guess I will never fully understand the mentality of New England fans. In Charlotte, we accept losses with a grain of salt. Here losing is unacceptable. I respect New England diehards because they truly care about the game, but I must admit people like my friend scare me to death.

If there is anything I want this column to accomplish it is for everyone just to calm down a little. Enjoy the games because I doubt Bill Belichick will let this team accept mediocrity. And, if somehow, the Patriots don't manage to win another game, you'll have plenty of stories. Sometimes the best tales are from those 1-15 years and not the championship seasons. I mean how can you not chuckle when you are led by a guy named "Weinke?"