House of Hossa?
The Stanley Cup Finals open up Saturday night in Chicago with the ultimate sports mercenary, Marian Hossa, headed for his 3rd straight quest for a Stanley Cup This Slovakian ice dancer has already lost twice in the finals on opposite ends of a back to back Penguins-Red Wings duel. Maybe its a fashion thing, maybe Hossa is the slutty girl who goes from roommate to roommate in a freshman boys dorm, or maybe he just is looking for the "one?" Either way Hossa find himself back in the big game. You cant fault a guy for that. According to the Sporting News, Hossa's agents used a high tech computer technique to find him a Championship Team in the making. Smart move with the copious amounts if statistical technology available. To me Hossa is a genius. Call him a mercenary, disloyal, traitor, or whatever. I call him honest.
All any good player wants is to win a championship. They know they may not be Hall of Fame material and the odds of their names being etched on the side of buildings and history even smaller. So why not spend every year going for the ultimate prize. Screw loyalty. Where will these fans be when your career is over? You're play has probably fallen off so much at the end that at that point they pretend you never were a Thrasher/Penguin/Red Wing/Blackhawk...You see my point.
Fans are fans because they can't be what their heroes are.We like to think we would perform differently than they would in all aspects. But we can't and never could. So when we question their judgment we question our own intelligence. Think about it. They grew up their entire lives being told they were special because of a set of skills they acquired inherently at birth. Would I sleep with all those women if I were Tiger...yeap. Would I spend every offseason waiting for a team to pay for my services while I decide if I want to retire or not? Sure would with a smile and a daily newspaper conundrum. Would I take a girl into a bathroom stall in a Georgia college bar because no other women find me sexually attractive since my face ended up on the front of an old lady's windshield? Well to that no. But you see my point. We should only be extremely critical of illegal actions. An athlete committing actual crimes is unforgivable.
But Crimes of FanNess (as they shall henceforth be known) should not be frowned upon. Choosing a team based on money is always a Fan-unfavorite, but not a real crime. I'm sorry CC left you Cleveland. Next time don't be so poor. I have been known to favor the Orioles from time to time; I went through a hate Mussina phase. That decision was not thought all the way out. In this world if you can get the money, go for it. So hating on a Hockey player because he picks his team based on his championship dreams? Even worse. I look forward to Game 4 when the Blackhawks sweep the Flyers. Marian Hossa goes to center ice and holds the Stanley Cup above his head; somewhere Jim Kelly leans back into his easy chair and thinks, "What if?" Hate the game, not the player.
