Lessons From My First Month in Sales

I recently took a new position as an Account Executive (see outside sales) and what follows are lessons I have learned during my first month on the job.

1.       Not to take no personally.  The expectation of failing 90% of the time and hearing no just as often can be tough to swallow, especially as an athlete who has enjoyed a moderate level of success.  Plowing forward and staying confident in your abilities is important.

2.       People buy from people.  You can have the worst product or the best product (granted it helps to have a high quality product that you truly believe in), but people want to know who they are buying from and they want to like that person.  Selling is about building relationships and developing trust. 

3.       Product and process knowledge are key.  A good salesman knows his product inside and out.  A good salesman knows the process to producing his product inside and out as well.  He may not always need to share all that information with the buyer but it is necessary to be able to display this knowledge when called upon. 

4.       It’s all about differentiation… What makes you or your product different from the other guy?  Where does the buyer place value?  What are the buyer’s needs/expectations?  A good salesman deciphers what is important to the buyer and ensures he meets those needs, whether it be quality, service, reputation, product, personal attention or the innumerable other things buyers value.  Buyers want to be serviced.

5.       Belief in your product and your support team are a necessity.  As important as building trust is with the customer, it is equally important to have a team behind you that you believe in and trust.  I could never sell something that I don’t believe in.  If your support team and you aren’t on the same page, your company and you will end up with a bad reputation, which the account executive gets to wear as he is usually the face the customer sees.

6.       The 4 P’s to “victory”

a.       Patience – It takes time to get that PO

b.      Persistence – Most sales happen after the 5^th call

c.       Product and Process Knowledge – The more you know…

d.      Planning and Preparation – Failure to plan is planning to fail.  Know your customer.

7.       As in all things, open and HONEST communication is essential.  

A Family Affair - Repechaje March 2015

A Family Affair

This time around has been exceptionally different in many ways.  This training camp is the first one in quite some time that both the men and women’s teams are training at the same place at the same time, meaning both Jen and I are present.  I think the last time this was the case was Lake Placid in preparation for the 2011 Pan Am Games.  We did not have a kid then, we do now and so Charlotte Mae has come along for the trip as well.  “Charlie” aka the “Phenom” is our year and half old daughter who makes practices and film/tactic sessions very interesting. 

We have been fortunate enough to find a place with a friend of a friend to stay with, as funding for this camp and Repechaje tournament was enough to cover travel expenses but not lodging or food for the duration of the camp.  Kathy Isaacon and her family have been gracious enough to let our little family stay in their apartment above the garage on their beautiful property in Opelika by the RTJ golf complex.  Without the Isaacson’s generosity and set-up, this camp may not have been possible for both of us to attend.  We are unbelievably grateful. 

The USA handball family now firmly established in Auburn has been awesome, especially in helping out with Charlie.  Jen and Charlie drove down a week earlier then I and without the help of the trainers, teammates and many others, would not have been able to participate in practices and everything else that goes along with a training camp without all the help of Charlie’s new friends.  Both Coach’s have been extremely patient and understanding as well, letting Charlie partake in locker room discussions and allowing her to be around during practices and meetings. 

Charlotte herself has been awesome, she hasn’t sniffed her normal bedtime in over two weeks and her schedule is incredibly messed up but she plows on, hanging out with all her new friends while mom and dad practice.  She’s even taking up chasing down balls, helping the players roll and stretch and even gave Momma a game day shoulder massage to help loosen her up. 

The challenge, as always, is to get everybody on the same page in a short amount of time.  Integrating non-residency players and residency players in a few days has been challenging but much easier than before when everybody was meeting up from different parts of the world.  Having an established home, locker rooms and a training program and schedule has helped those of us who are not part of the residency program yet integrate ourselves quickly. 

Friendlies

Alberta Team Handball (men) and the Puerto Rican women’s team were nice enough to come down and play friendlies to help us prepare.  The Women’s team played well, displaying multiple defenses and a potent offense, earning three victories and gaining confidence while building good team chemistry.  They averaged 30 goals a game for the series and many of the newer additions gained critical on court experience.

On the men’s side Alberta brought down a skilled team that played good handball.  They challenged the men’s team in all three matches.  The first match Friday night featured only residency program guys.  It was a tight back and forth match until mid-way through the second half when Alberta put together an impressive run.  The residency players responded with an aggressive 3-3 defense the last 10 minutes and fought their way back to tie the score as the game ended.  The next two matches featured a mix of residency and national team members with everybody seeing ample time.  The US put together two decent performances and won both games somewhat comfortably while trying out different combinations and defense’s.  We cannot thank Alberta enough for taking the time to come down and play three games in three days.  The guys were awesome and gave us good game competition to build off of. 

What is clearly apparent is the growth of the residency program in numbers, talent, athletes and handball in general across the board.  Half of the MNT is composed of current residency players with many others just missing the cut.  The residency guys are young and promising, an exciting mixture for the future of USA Team Handball.

1^st Leg Prep

The week went by smoothly.  It is so nice to have our own locker rooms, the availability to get into the beautiful weight facility reserved for Olympic Lifting sports on Auburn’s campus, classrooms for technical meetings and film and of course the gym at Beard-Eaves.  Everything we need to conduct a strong camp and get ready to go is readily available, allowing us to focus on handball.  It was a good week for both sides filled with ample time on the court and in the classroom.

The nice thing about the residency program is the high level of athletes that are around.  Everybody is at a different level of handball but just having 25+ guys and girls on both sides gives both teams ample players to train with and against.  As the week wore on both coach’s shortened the rosters and practices intensified.  The practice Thursday night for the guys consisted of just the MNT that was suiting up on Saturday and it was crisp and focused.  From what Jen said, the women’s intensity level was quite high as well all week.  Both teams avoided serious injury throughout camp with the exception of Cat on the girl’s side who unfortunately tore her ACL.  After two good weeks, both teams felt prepared for the 1^st Leg matches on Saturday.

The growth of the sport and the support throughout Auburn is highly visible and continually growing.  Signs around town promote the sport and the home games.  Many local businesses hold fundraisers and donate both time and money through individual programs.  It is exciting to see the local community buy in; hopefully this trend continues and more and more businesses and locals will be made aware and jump aboard.

1^st Leg

The growth of the sport in the Auburn area was on display Saturday night in Beard-Eaves Coliseum.  The crowd for both games was easily the largest either USA team has played in front of in the USA for many years.  I personally had never played in front of a bigger or more enthusiastic crowd.  The noise and excitement created by the fans was definitely an advantage and was a nice sight to see.  We have to thank the Auburn/Opelika community and all the other handball fans that traveled from far and away to come out and support, including over 10 former handball and other Olympians. 

The men started slow again and found themselves in an early deficit, much like the last time we played Uruguay but not nearly as severe.  We kept it close with our defense, Danny Caparelli coming up with a couple of huge saves to keep the score at 12-10 going into half.  Switching to a 3-3 defense in the second half and playing more aggressively on the offensive end, we turned it around in the second half, winning the half 15-9 and giving ourselves a four goal advantage heading into the 2^nd leg to be played outside of Montevideo on Saturday. 

Our goalies were again top notch, allowing only 21 goals total.  Danny controlled the pipes for the first 40 before Gabe Goodreau came in and secured the victory over the last 20 minutes.  Gary Hines rebounded after a tough first half, playing more aggressively on the offensive end and firing in a few impressive goals.  Chris Morgan came in and scored a few key goals from right back, but more importantly played stout defense in the two spot for a few possessions.  Vlado Bicvic was a huge contributor on defense and offense in the second half as well; we will miss his presence in Uruguay. 

The women’s game was exactly opposite.  They started a tad slow but soon picked up the pace and dominated the first half.  They were clearly the better team in the first half, displaying better athleticism and better handball.  Unfortunately for them, it did not carry over into the second half and the women ended up down 5 at the buzzer, 30-25.

Travel Days

Jen having driven down to Auburn with the Phenom, we had to turn around and get the car and kid back to New Hampshire before heading down to Uruguay so we took off Sunday after the women had film.  It worked out quite well in that we have family in Augusta, GA and Springfield, VA that were willing to house and feed us on the trip back.  We split the trip into three days and luckily didn’t hit much traffic, making the trip back in 20 hours of total drive time.  We arrived back in NH Tuesday afternoon, giving us just enough time to unpack, do laundry, repack, get a little shut eye and hand off the kid to the in-laws (thank you so much!) before flying out of Boston to meet back up with the rest of our teams in Montevideo. 

Getting to Montevideo is not easy as there are no direct flights seemingly from anywhere in the US.  Most of the team spent 30+ hours in airports and on planes but shockingly, no luggage was lost and everybody arrived safely on time in Uruguay.  The Uruguayans have put us up in the same hotel the men stayed at this past summer in Carrasco.  The Cottage is incredibly nice, situated across a busy road from the beach.  The food is tasty and abundant and the rooms are clean.  The water is full of pressure and hot and you can flush the TP.  The WIFI works and so does the TV.  The weather is unbelievable, 85 and sunny during the day, cooling off to 60 at night. 

2^nd Leg Prep

Both teams will practice Friday night at the gym we play at tomorrow, which is an hour drive both ways.  The men and women both concocted game plans in meetings today. The men plan on finishing what we started back in Auburn.  The women know what they need to do and have the ability to get it done.  Strong defense and an aggressive offense will be key to both teams winning and punching their ticket to the Pan American Games this summer in Toronto.  The games will be live streamed (http://panamhandball.org/pathf/) for those that want to tune in.

Pride and Basketball

I’ve got an issue with NBA players choosing not to represent their country in international competition.  This topic is near and dear to me for many reasons.  I’m American, born and raised, and very proud of it.  I’ve lived overseas and traveled extensively and the chance to represent your country on a world-wide stage should trump EVERYTHING.  Fear of injury, fatigue, contract issues and all the other excuses basketball players from many nations come up with are all bullshit.   

Basketball is the only sport that I’m aware of in which player’s A. opt out of the possibility to represent their country and B. if they do so, have the opportunity to pick and choose the tournaments or international competitions they want to compete in.  I don't want to hear the excuses: you’re tired, both mentally and physically?  So you’re telling us you’re not going to be training while you are not with the USA team?  I don’t buy it.  You’re scared of the possibility of getting injured?  Horse honkey, every athlete realizes that an injury could occur anywhere at any time.  Every player who isn’t training with team USA is playing pick-up and training somewhere else everyday anyway.  You’re in the middle of contract negotiations?  Sorry that the millions you have already made and the millions more weigh more heavily than representing your country for a month.  That must be rough.  I have no sympathy for a millionaire who stands to lose very little if any at all because they are afraid of getting hurt or hurting their “stock” by playing for their country.  In fact, it sickens me.  Have some pride.

  

While I can appreciate Mark Cuban, Greg Popovich and other owners/coaches/franchises wanting to protect their assets, telling a player they are not allowed to play internationally should be a crime.  Pop may be the greatest coach of this era but his propensity to tell his players they can't play for their country really grinds my gears.  This is the Red, White and Blue on your jersey with a big USA on your chest.  This is a chance to play for everything we stand for… to demonstrate what it means to be free and make not only a living, but a damn good one by playing a sport.   

I agree with Cuban in the aspect that international basketball should be better organized and that there should be financial considerations in place for players, owners and the NBA.  The system is not perfect, nor is it popular, especially in the United States.  The only international competition we tend to pay attention to is the Olympics (props to the IOC for creating that while simultaneously destroying all other international competitions).

SI's Phil Taylor, Grantlands' Bill Simmons and Former NBA player Jalen Rose all agree with me.  NBA players play, it's what they love to do.  So why not play for your country?   

Freedom! Why the 4th Rocks

Ahhhh, the 4^th of July.  Independence day.  Freedom.  The single best day to be an American.  A long weekend full of fireworks, whiffle-ball games, hot dogs and sausages, burgers and brats.  Time spent with family and friends on the lake or around the pool grilling, camping, fishing, skiing and doing cannon balls.    

Although Memorial Day is the official day we honor veterans, the 4^th, for me, is the day that really drives home all the sacrifices the men and women in our armed forces have made over the years.  It starts with “the originals,” the warriors who fought against the Redcoats in order to gain this nation's independence but it sure doesn’t end there.  All the brave men and women who have fought for and continue to fight for our freedom are never more appreciated than during the 4^th. 

The 4th is unbeatable because it allows American’s to reconnect with the little kid that lives inside each one of us.  Whether it’s spending hundreds on fireworks, driving radically on the boat with no other intent than to knock their nine year old off the tube or staying up later than usual around the fire to tell that story you promised your roommate would never escape your lips; adults, young adults, teens and children nationwide recognize the 4th as the one celebration where damn near anything goes.  

I love the 4^th.  Growing up it meant five days of exploding black cats, jumping jacks, blowing up toy cars and trying not to visit the hospital.  My block (a cul-de-sac that was traffic-less and quite possibly the best kick the can street ever) always had a fourth of July block party complete with a fireworks show that almost always caught the attention of the local fire department.  People would gather near the cul-de-sac, which happened to be in front of my house, and we would light fireworks well into the night.  Many of my fondest memories of that neighborhood include those shows of exploding merriment. 

My small town, being the biggest in the county, always put on one hell of a show.  Complete with soldiers marching, bugles blaring, watermelon stands, an always impressive rendition of the National Anthem and the ever present excitement/danger of novices in charge of thousands of dollars of highly explosive material, the McPherson County Fireworks show at Wall Park never disappointed. 

The 4th’s spent near the battlefields where the USA earned its independence aren’t too shabby either.  We were lucky enough to have access to a house on one of the seemingly millions of lakes.  I spent the last five years and Jen most of her life celebrating the fourth on Great East.  Lobster bakes, boat rides, fireworks lit by massive cigars exploding over the water and unlimited amounts of fun.  Celebrated differently across the US, it all stands for the same thing; freedom.  Freedom is magnificent.  America is the best country in the world in my biased opinion.  I have lived in other countries and visited at least twenty others; it is not even close, there is no contest.  We have our issues and struggles but being born American and having the opportunity to live life in this great country is nothing but fortune.   

So drink a beer or five, eat a brat AND a burger.  Spit watermelon seeds.  Light fireworks.  Live life, because you can, because countless men and women have fought and sacrificed and continue to do so, so that we can enjoy these freedoms.  America;  awesome. 

Pan Am Champs Wrap Up

Disappointing?  No question, we did not accomplish what we set out to do upon our departure a little over two weeks ago.  However, I have never been one to dwell on the negatives.  I firmly believe nothing good ever comes from worrying or focusing on the past.  One must learn from their mistakes, gain knowledge from failure and study history but never let it control you.  Used as motivation, failure can lead to great things.  Case in point; since losing to Mexico at the Pan Am Games in 2011 by one point in one of, if not the worst performances from any USA team I have been a part of, I have made it a personal goal to never lose to them again.  And we haven’t, none of the games since then have been even close.  I prefer to focus on the positives and grow as a team for the next competition.

Finishing sixth sucks.  It hurts and I hope the guys use it as motivation.  After the loss to Uruguay and our chances of qualifying for worlds out the window, all we had to play for was pride and ourselves.  I was proud of the way the guys we responded.  We played terribly against Guatemala but got the job done and then put together our best overall performance of the tournament together against Mexico.  Focusing on the positives and where we can grow… Adam Elzoghby exploded offensively and looked like his old self pre knee injury.  He was excellent, aggressive and on point against Guatemala and continued with that mind set throughout the weekend, ending the tournament in the top five in scoring.  Gary Hines proved to everybody in the tournament that he can be the most exhilarating player in the gym at any given time.  His offensive explosion against Greenland is something we have come to expect and rely on perhaps too much over the last few years but is something we need from him constantly to compete with the best in the Pan Americans.  At one point in the game, a Greenland player simply stopped and watched, uttering “Mein Gott” (My God) after watching Gary jump over him and fire a ball past the helpless goalie.  Divine Jackson was called upon to play middle defense against Mexico after Lewis Howes was injured and he proved that he is still highly capable of not only playing highly active defense, but also communicating and being a leader on that end.  He provided a much-needed spark to our defense and produced on the offensive end, making defenders lose their jocks with his surprisingly quick one on one moves.  Lewis, pre injury, was obviously becoming more and more comfortable with his mainly defensive role and he and I had begun to gel after limited time working together.  His enthusiasm and constant effort helped lead the comeback charge against Uruguay and helped us not drop an embarrassing loss to Guatemala.  Our offense overall against Greenland finally fell in sink, we moved the ball crisply, finding our big finishers in stride and giving them opportunities to score.  If I hadn’t hit the goalie five times and played the worst defensive game of my career, we would have been in the game. 

I have played against quicker and stronger players in my career; almost every weekend during my time in Germany in fact and have never performed so poorly.  The backs from Greenland embarrassed me; I let my team down and for that I am sorry.  I haven’t stopped thinking about and it will motivate me to no end for the rest of my career.  I am not the quickest guy on the court ever, buy what I lack in quickness, I usually make up for with positioning and brains.  The Greenland game was an anomaly.  Apart from driving me to do better, I have erased it from my mind.  I hope you and my teammates will as well.

Uruguay proved that our goal of qualifying for the World Championships was not so far fetched.  They beat a better team in pool play (us, I firmly believe we beat them 9 out of 10 times and know we are the better team) to qualify for the chance to play for Qatar.  And boy did they put on a show.  Everybody involved in team sports knows that in any one game, anything can happen.  That is why most championships are decided by a series of games, so that the best team usually wins.  Uruguay outplayed Chile in the battle for third place and the right to go to Qatar in January.  Chile is the better team, without question, but Uruguay for one game, for 55 minutes completely outplayed them and made believers out of everybody who watched the game.  A few timely saves and big goals from the Chilean side ended up being the deciding factor but watching that game reminded us that anything can happen, ala the Miracle on Ice in 1980. 

Everybody grew this tournament and many younger players gained valuable experience that I hope will amount to future huge contributions.  Five players scored their first goals and four earned their first appearances for the USA Men’s National Team.  As the talent pool grows deeper, I hope that the competition to earn a spot on the team will continue to increase, as this is the only way we will improve and challenge ourselves to get better everyday. 

The result was disappointing but as we move onward and look forward, we will be better come the second chance tournament and with a good performance there, give ourselves another chance to prove to each other, the federation and our fans that we can compete on this level in Toronto at the Pan American Games in the summer of 2015.

The best part of these trips and experiences?  Life.  Meeting guys I never would have met.  Seeing life from a different perspective.  Adam is from Egypt, I am from Kansas, we have different religions, beliefs and cultural experiences, yet even though we see each other on average twice a year for perhaps 10 days, every time we get together it’s like we are long lost brothers. His son, the Prince, will eventually meet, my daughter, the Phenom and that alone is irreplaceable.  We can argue, disagree, fight, laugh, discuss, learn and know that at the end of the day, it’s nothing but love.  The same goes for Martin, Divine, Ivan, Vlad, etc, etc.  We learn from each other and share something most people never feel.  The bond we build with each other is unbreakable and is something special; it’s something only people who have bled, cried, showered, won and lost together know.  It’s where goose bumps come from.  I believe Bill Simmons and the writers from Grantland refer to it as sweat equity.  We are spoiled to have these experiences, regardless of the outcomes and I can’t wait for the next chance to step on the court and battle with my brothers. 

Thanks to all of our family, friends and supporters who were behind us and continually encouraged us with messages, phone calls and other forms of contact while we were doing our best to represent the USA.  Your support and encouragement means more than you know.  Thanks to the federation for believing in us and making the effort financially to send us to the tournament.  Don’t give up on us.  It is worth it.  Thanks to Ebiye for taking half the load and making my writing look like a 5^th graders.  It was nice to share the blogging load with another teammate and see the tournament from a rookie’s perspective. 

To all; keep up the good work.  USA!

Montevideo - Brazil Match

Too bad it’s winter down here in Montevideo.  Our hotel is right on the beach and I could be working on my tan.  On second thought, maybe it’s a good thing it’s chilly so we can focus on the task at hand.  We arrived in Montevideo Sunday afternoon after another longish travel day.  Our layover was over night in Porto Alegre, a World Cup event-hosting town in South Brazil.  The flight to Montevideo and the ride to our hotel were rather uneventful. 

Practice Sunday night was much needed.  Due to scheduling we hadn’t been on the court together since playing Brazil in the second friendly on Friday night.  Refreshed and refocused, we used the 45 minutes on the court to continue preparing for the long week ahead.  On arrival back at the hotel, we found out that, not surprisingly, a team had dropped out of the tournament and therefore PATHF decided to reschedule the games in a different format.  Venezuela, who was in our group, failed to show, dropping our number of teams in the pool to four, now matching the other pool.  The pools did not change, just the game times and opponents. 

The new schedule allowed us another preparation/rest day on Monday with play in our pool kicking off on Tuesday with us facing Brazil.  Venezuela dropping out and us facing Brazil first was probably the best thing that could have happened.  This gave us the chance to play a team we somewhat knew and allow us to get used to the venue (it’s really cold) and scout the other two teams we will need to beat in order to move onto the semifinals on Saturday.  Although we improved over last week’s performances, Brazil was still the better team and we lost 28-17.  Most importantly, nobody was injured and our defense was markedly improved compared to the two games we played last week.  We are heading in the right direction.

Uruguay and Guatemala played each other in the second game on Tuesday.  Uruguay was obviously the better team and proved it, dismantling the Guatemalan’s 36-19 and setting up a pretty decisive match Wednesday night.  If we beat Uruguay and handle business Thursday night against Guatemala, we will advance to the semifinals and give ourselves a chance to play for a spot in the World Championships.  This is the goal and the reason the federation spent the money to allow us to compete in this tournament.  Anything less than an all effort tonight would be a major disappointment.  There is no excuse to not dominate the next two games and put ourselves in a position we haven’t been in for 10+ years.  The next two days will be exciting.  

Hotel Cottage is a very nice establishment in Carrasco, a rich suburb on the Eastern side f Montevideo.  The rooms are well furnished, the waterfall showerheads are high enough that I don’t have to duck and the sinks are big enough to do laundry in.  The food hasn’t been the same every meal and is ridiculously tasty.  The real fireplace downstairs is necessary and gives off a homely feeling.  The staff is friendly and helpful and put up the invasion of 120 stinky, smelly foreign dudes spreading themselves out around the hotel. 

As mentioned above we are right on the beach, although it’s cold and rainy most of the time so there’s nothing going on but it’s a nice view to wake up to in the morning.  The gym, that’s an hour bus ride away, has no heat, giving the feeling that you’re playing outside on a cold fall day.  Guys on the bench are huddled in jackets to try and stay warm.  They put two portable heaters in the stands yesterday to try and generate some heat for the spectators.  It’s almost comical.  We only hope it stays relatively warm, a cold front hitting the rest of the week would make for an interesting wrinkle to the tournament.  The cold doesn’t bother fat kids like myself but some who are used to warmer climates and gyms are not happy about playing when you can see your breath. 

Wednesday night we play against the hosts in prime time. It's do or die for the US.  Put up or shut up time.  We win, we stand a good chance of advancing to the semi's and playing for a spot in Qatar.  We lose and all we have to play for is pride the rest of the week.  The gym should be packed and the atmosphere should be electric.  I need a nap to prepare so I’m out.  Thanks for all the support from back home, it means a lot to me and the rest of the guys.  USA!

MacTown to BeanTown: One sports fans transformation from Kansas to New England

Many people from Kansas never leave.  Many more believe Boston is the capital of New England, which they believe is a state somewhere near Maine; it would be humorous if it wasn’t such a poor reflection of our education system.  New Englanders’ and their passion for sports, real maple syrup, apple’s picked from the tree and the four “seasons” are all very foreign to a Plains State man.  We know straight roads, tornadoes and the fundamentals of basketball.  When it comes to sports, we are not familiar with winning.  We have no idea why the Garden, Fenway or Tom Brady are so damn special.  We know the Chiefs and the Royals actually belong to Missouri, a hockey team will never come close to Kansas and the NBA isn’t moving to Wichita any time soon.  Is it any wonder we support a mythical bird so profusely?

My friends call me a traitor, a fair-weather fan, a sell out.  But can you blame me?  My wife grew up in New Hampshire.  The NH is worse than Kansas; they have no professional sports teams, two sub par Division I programs and some average ski mountains.  It’s no wonder they adopt the Massachusetts pro teams as their own.  There is nobody else to cheer for. 

Fenway. 

My first ever trip to Boston included a trip to the historic ballpark; I will never forget it.  The K in Kansas City has waterfalls and is a beautiful park, but nothing compares to Fenway.  I love George Brett and the passion he played the game with but he led the Royals to their last World Series 3 months before I was born.  We haven’t sniffed success since.  After graduating from college, I moved to Boston to be with my then girlfriend, now wife.  We lived 8 minutes from Fenway and became professional Stubhub navigators.  I was fortunate enough to catch a lot of games during our year in Boston.  I fell in love.  The Red Sox won games and grew beards and beat the Yankees and made baseball fun.  Can you blame me for cheering for my new “home” team; the loveable cursed losers who all of a sudden were winning World Series?

The Garden. 

Paul Pierce is one of the greatest Jayhawks of all time.  Larry Legend is a Midwest icon and the idol of many fundamentally sound, un-athletic, basketball loving white boys like myself.  The aura of the Garden, the history in that place is awe-inspiring.  It gave me tingles just walking into the place and seeing the floor, the banners won by Russell and Bird and all the other greats.  The Celtics during the “Big Three” era were unbelievably loveable and winners.  Watching the Celtics play in the Garden is a dream come true for a basketball lover.  Ubuntu and unselfishness; a team first approach is the standard taught in Kansas to most young players growing up.  Watching an NBA team full of stars buy into the same idea and battle younger, more pompous stars and win was stimulating.  Can you blame me for making the jump from cheering for the non-existent Kansas NBA team to the Celtics bandwagon? 

Many of my newer friends, met through my wife and her family, grew up playing hockey, real hockey: the sport played on ice with skates and a puck.  I grew up playing on roller blades (until I outgrew the one pair I ever owned, then I just ran) in a street with cones and very dangerous patches of tar work.  I would have loved cheering for the local team growing up. Only problem was, until the Avalanche escaped Canada, the closest team was far, far away.  I did adopt and follow the Avalanche as close as I could when they moved in 98’.  It helped that they were good and had a team of All-Stars, but it was still hard to become a die-hard fan when they were never on TV and I never saw a game live. 

My first Garden hockey experience happened in the spring of 08’ and involved free food, a flask of whiskey and the Bruins beating the Habs, both on the scoreboard and with their fists.  I will never forget that experience and will forever hate the Montreal Canadians.  It was too easy, the Bruins were good, all my new friends were Bruin nuts, I lived in Boston and I had real affiliation with another team.  This was the easiest and most defensible transition.  I may have abandoned the Royals but becoming a Bruins fan was a no-brainer.

The one professional sports team I passionately followed and cheered for in my youth was the Denver Broncos.  This will never change.  I was able to watch them almost every Sunday and was privileged enough to cheer for them during the Elway era.  Arguably one of the greatest of all time, John played harder and smiled bigger than anybody.  He was my hero and his fathead hangs on my wall.  Even with all the success the Patriots and Tom Brady have had during the time I have spent in New England, I have never made the jump and never will.  After last year’s AFC Championship game, can you blame me?