Be a Sport.

Sports is strange. Things that happen in sports don't happen in real life, and vice-versa. It's an odd thing, and strange the way some people separate sports from everything else.

Last week I went to Baltimore for the Orioles home opener. On my way out, I bought a polo shirt with the bird and "Orioles" written underneath. When I wore it to work the next day you'd have thought I was wearing a Swastika necktie.

"Hey, I thought you were a Phillies fan!"

"What's this - Orioles?"

"What's with the Orioles shirt?"

I explained that I have been going to Orioles games since the 80s, and I like the Orioles, the ballpark and I enjoy visiting Baltimore.

What I really wanted to say was, "Fuck you, I'll wear what I want. How about losing 50 pounds, tubby." Apparently, we're only allowed to wear one team's items, and we're especially only allowed to support the local teams. To me, I'm limiting myself if I only watch one team's games, but others find that practice offensive somehow.

To equate that with a life experience, suppose you normally shop at Target, but one day on your way home from work, you decided to stop at Kohl's and buy a shirt that you saw that looked nice. When you wore it to work the next day, you are asked where you purchased it. Finding out that you bought it at Kohl's, your irate co-workers question your loyalty to Target with several pointed statements.

But it's sports, and we all know how important sports is.

Which is, not all that important, really. Take it easy, folks.