I took the opportunity to ask them their thoughts about the Phillies starting pitcher that day, former Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. I gestured around the park. “Do you think he’s going to get some boos?”

“Absolutely not!” exclaimed the woman. “Roy is still ours. Roy didn’t want to leave. It was our stupid owners who wouldn’t pay him what he’s worth.”

She leaned into me and took a quieter tone, as if what she was about to tell me would make her lose her seats. “Look at us. We’ve had these season tickets for how many years? A long time. Our fellow fans come to this stadium in droves, even if they’re losing. It might not sell out, but that’s because it’s enormous. But we’re still drawing a significant amount of people, and we all buy food and shirts…how could they not pay the one player we liked? They had the money.”

She stepped back, and her husband chimed in. “We applauded him for the minute we saw him yesterday, and we’re going to give him a standing ovation when he comes to the mound today,” he said decisively.

My new Mississauga friends were correct. When Halladay walked to the mound for the bottom of the first, the sold-out crowd (many of whom were wearing their old Halladay Blue Jays jerseys and shirts) rose and roared. It gave me such a shiver up my spine that I accidentally hit pause on my video camera, missing a few seconds of the action.

Halladay pitched a complete game, and the Phillies beat the Blue Jays 5-3 that day, though current Blue Jays star Jose Bautista hit a beautiful home run off of Halladay. I tried to take a photo of every Bautista at bat against Halladay, because if any future children I have are mega baseball fans, they are sure to treasure it. (And just you watch, if I ever have kids, they’ll hate sports. It would be my luck.)

After the game, the day’s starting pitcher for the Blue Jays, Carlos Villanueva ripped Toronto fans in comments to the media, saying:

“I know he did a lot for this team and this city but we have a new ace here and his name is Ricky Romero.”

Seeing Villanueva’s quote that night on TSN, I cringed. The Toronto fans had cheered for their own team too, giving Bautista a standing ovation for his home run. Who was Villanueva to tell fans who they should and shouldn’t cheer for? Was he just being a poor sport because his team lost? Or did he have a point and should have fans toned down their adoration?

This incident may have occurred a month ago today, but as long as there are trades and free agency in professional sports, it will still be relevant. When a beloved player leaves via trade or free agency, is it okay to still cheer for that player? Or do you have to pledge your allegiance to one or the other?

The TD Garden lit up with Bruins spirit. (Photo by me and my iPhone.)

The Boston Bruins are going to lose tonight because I am wearing pants.

Preposterous, you say. What does making a choice between a black skirt and black pants have to do with if the Bruins will tie up their Stanley Cup Finals series against the Vancouver Canucks this evening?

It doesn’t, of course. But the thought crossed my mind as I was running out the door to work this morning. Was I wearing skirts or dresses during games three and four? I know I was wearing pants on Friday, when they lost game five.

But what does the work apparel of a random university employee such as myself have to do with whether or not the Boston Bruins win a game? It doesn’t, but it doesn’t keep some of us from letting that thought enter our minds occasionally.

On Twitter, I’ve been watching the inner turmoil of one Bruins fan that didn’t want to touch up her Bruins colored nails because they had been painted as such since game three. There is another who has to wear the same Milan Lucic t-shirt every game.

The superstition goes beyond Bruins fans. I’ve written about my crazy Boston University hockey and general football superstitions before. Even recently, I was convinced that I couldn’t wear my hair up on a BU game day, because they would lose if I did. Even players have their own superstitions: they put their right skate on before their left, they always have to have yellow Gatorade before a game, they have to place their water bottle in a certain area.

So I ask all of you: what are your superstitions, either as a fan or an athlete? (That is, if you’re willing to tell!) Share them below, along with what team you do them for, or offer them on Twitter using the hashtag #sportssuper (Using the entire word superstition would cause us all to go over that precious 140 character limit.) I’ll post them later.

Uptown Sports has a small stable of NHL players it represents, including Mike Fisher, the husband of American Idol winner and country music sweetheart, Carrie Underwood.

Aside from the moral argument for gay marriage (because gay or straight, everyone deserves the right to have someone to argue with over what to have for dinner and putting your shoes in the boot tray), there are statistical and marketing reasons why those who don’t agree with gay marriage may want to keep their thoughts personal. From a statistical perspective, hockey businesses of any kind may need to stay away from an anti-gay marriage perspective.

Statistically, NHL fans are notable in two areas: the high number of them who are quite active online, and the number of them who have a college degree or higher. According to Sports Business Daily, in 2010, 14.9% of NHL fans admitted to spending 20 hours or more per week on the Internet, more than any other of the major North American sports. According to Experian Media in late 2009, NHL fans are more likely than non-NHL fans to earn a college degree or higher.

Additionally, both Sports Business Daily and Experian Media show a growth point within the 18-34 year old age range. 33.4% of NHL fans are within that age range.

So what do these numbers have to do with gay marriage? Because these growth points within NHL fan demographics (these points being those that the NHL has over its sports league peers) are also demographic strong holds within the gay marriage debate. According to the Pew Research Forum in 2010, 53% of 18-30 year olds support gay marriage. Also, 52% of college graduates and above support gay marriage.

Though statistics are difficult to come by, there are studies that suggest that those who don’t feel strongly on either side of the gay marriage debate are less likely to be online. Thus, if hockey fans are spend the most time online of all sports fans, they are the least likely among sports fans to be what the Pew Research Center calls a “tune-out,” someone who doesn’t have a feeling on the topic. Thus, hockey fans most likely have a strong feeling on the topic on either side of the debate.

So look where all of those statistics overlap? In the NHL, your key populations – the one those involved in the business operations side of hockey want to encourage – align with a segment of a population that will statistically most likely support gay marriage.

Thus, anyone who represents a player or a fan-oriented product is doing themselves a demographic disservice if they publicly promote an anti-gay marriage agenda. More so than in the other major North American sports, NHL fans will more likely fall in the pro-gay marriage camp, and paired with their high level of internet usage, are more apt to be active in sharing their views with others and adopting online activism.

———-

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this anecdotal piece of evidence. The popularity of college hockey continues to grow year after year. With that growth, college hockey has become a gateway to NHL fandom within a population not exposed to the sport previously. Geographically, college hockey fandom continues to grow in New England, a region with great traditions in the sport, a recent history of national success…and one of the nation’s highest levels of support for gay marriage.

When I was growing up, the group of elite NFL quarterbacks included two men who promoted advocacy for two diseases that were woefully under funded at the time (cystic fibrosis and Krabbe’s disease), a law school student, and men who worked to be the face of a franchise and never would dream of leaving.

I am not saying they were saints (for example, Jim Kelly’s wife’s recent book shatters most of our good conceptions of Kelly thanks to his infidelities), but we were shielded from it while they played. Instead of talking about their most recent rape charge at a stoppage of play, they would talk about Boomer Esiason’s son’s progress as he battled cystic fibrosis, something Dan Marino did for the community, or Steve Young’s bar card. We only knew Joe Montana as Joe Cool, not the anti-social teammate who laughed at his tough-but-tiny teammate at Notre Dame, the one and only Rudy. We bought candles to support Kelly’s son Hunter as he battled a rare disorder. Drew Bledsoe was a good guy from Washington state, and John Elway made Colorado relevant beyond skiing. Quarterbacks weren’t bad – they were golden.

In comparison, today’s elite quarterbacks are well known more for their misbehavior, lousy personalities and poor choices than anything else. Roethlisberger and Mark Sanchez have been accused of raping women, but are in the process of “overcoming” those charges (whatever that means.) Peyton and Eli Manning are stereotyped as angry, egotistical daddy’s-boys. Vince Young has more problems than Boston public transportation on a subzero day. Michael Vick pitted dogs to the death against each other for his own enjoyment. Tom Brady had a kid out of wedlock and married a supermodel who refuses to be paid in US dollars. Cutler “isn’t tough” and sits out the second half of the NFC Championship game due to an injury my athletic trainer friend has seen 14 year olds play on. And Brett Favre – the quarterback who straddles the line between the generation of “well behaved” 90s quarterbacks and today’s troublesome terrors – sends women photos of his private parts and propositions them, all while his wife was battling cancer. They are all good quarterbacks, but their athletic performances are no longer the first thing we think of when we hear their names.

The quarterbacks of my youth may have been horrible, but we didn’t necessarily know it while they were active. Plus, the media is looking for, expecting the negative when it comes to a quarterback. What changed? When did quarterbacks go from being treated as well-meaning leaders to being horny representatives of all that is stereotypically wrong with athletes? Was it the invention of the Internet and the never ending news cycle to fill? Was it that the current free agency model doesn’t endear cities to their players and players to their cities, thus giving the athlete no accountability and the fans no reason not to turn them in to TMZ? Is it that people en masse are behaving much worse than ever before, and the microcosm of NFL quarterbacks represent that?

Or did just all of us 1990s football fans grow up and learn that no one is perfect?

So what do we have in common, besides the Hasenauer nose bump and a bad Canadian-like accent? Thanks to a collaboration between Stan Lee and the National Hockey League, Sam and I may finally have common ground.

The Guardian Project begins its roll-out with the new year. (Image: The Guardian Project and Rocket XL)

Comic book legend Stan Lee – creator of the iconic Spider Man and my brother’s favorite, Iron Man – has helped design 30 new superheroes that correlate with the 30 NHL teams. Entitled The Guardian Project, the multimedia enterprise will begin its roll out with the January 1st Winter Classic in Pittsburgh, PA, culminating in a project-wide unveiling at the NHL All-Star Game on January 30th. While the superheroes’ adventures will take place independent of an ice rink, each superhero will take on elements of their related franchise.

Targeted towards the somewhat ignored “tween boy” demographic, the project is sure to have a reach beyond that particular age group. Comics have experienced a resurgence over the past few years, with my brother being a perfect example. In addition, the team behind The Guardian Project has already jumped head first into the social media waters, with plans to engage both hockey and comic fans via Facebook, YouTube and other platforms.

Both hockey and comics are genres willing to take risks to re-establish themselves amongst the American public, making this collaboration one to watch for pop culture and sports fans alike.

Below is a press release regarding how The Guardian Project will be using Facebook to order the unveiling of the superheroes and more information about the overall program.

————-

‘GUARDIAN 30 MATCH-UP’ LAUNCHED TO UNVEIL EACH HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SUPERHERO FROM THE GUARDIAN PROJECT

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO IGNITE THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE’S MILLIONS OF FANS IN ULTIMATE FACE-OFF

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 21, 2010) – Guardian Media Entertainment – the partnership created between the National Hockey League (NHL), SLG Entertainment, LLC and Stan Lee (Chairman, POW! Entertainment, LLC) – today announced the launch of the GUARDIAN 30 MATCH-UP (www.guardianproject30.com).

With the highly anticipated unveiling of the 30 individual Guardians within the Guardian Project, the Guardian 30 Match-Up is a Facebook application that will enable fans to determine the order in which each team’s Guardian will be unveiled. Voting at www.guardianproject30.com will continue throughout January, with fans determining which team will win each match-up. The winners will be revealed daily, beginning with a face-off between the “Penguin” vs. the “Capital” to celebrate the 2011 Bridgestone
NHL Winter Classic® match-up on Saturday, Jan.1, 2011. The last winner will be unveiled on Sunday, Jan. 30, when all thirty Guardians will come to life during a special presentation within the 2011 NHL® All-Star Game presented by Discover in Raleigh, N.C. 4 p.m. ET live broadcast on VERSUS in the U.S. and on CBC and RDS in Canada.

Created and developed by Stan Lee, Tony Chargin, EVP of GME Creative Affairs, and Jake Shapiro, each Guardian has been derived from its corresponding hockey team, complete with special powers representative of each team and city. Every day for the first 30 days in January, the winning Guardians will be revealed at 8pm ET with an exclusive image designed by legendary comic book artist Neal Adams along with their bio.

With an initial plan to reach an all-family audience and narrower target demo of tween boys, GME hopes to bring a new audience to the NHL, while engaging the existing, established hockey fan base through a compelling tale of good vs. evil.

“Guardian 30 Match-Up is the latest strategic marketing tactic for reaching our core youth demographic of Guardian Project fans and building excitement around the unveiling of Guardians throughout January,” explained Brian Jennings, EVP, Marketing for the National Hockey League, L.P. ”Introducing the Guardians to fans through Facebook, a proven social media platform for engaging NHL fans, is an ideal way to set the stage for the exciting unveiling we have planned during the All-Star Game.”

“Our entire business model is focused on creating content for the ways in which entertainment is consumed today,” added Adam Baratta, GME Chief Creative Officer.

“Social media is a very important medium for reaching and engaging our core demographic which is why this was such an organic initiative for the launch of the Guardian Project brand.”

Fans will be able to vote for their favorite teams and learn about the Guardians at www.guardianproject30.com and by going to the “GP Vote Now tab of www.facebook.com/NHL.

In addition to heavy social media outreach, Guardian Media Entertainment (GME) will drive awareness and exposure for the Guardian 30 Match-Up through the airing of promos in NHL arenas, on the NHL Network™, on VERSUS and on NHL.com, etc.

About Guardian Media Entertainment, LLC.
GME will serve as the company responsible for the creation, development and exploitation of The Guardian Project. The executive team includes Howard Baldwin, Chairman, Mark Terry, Chief Operating Officer; Adam Baratta, Chief Creative Officer; Tony Chargin, Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs; Aldo LaPietra, Executive Vice President, Production & Business Development; and Jennifer Sprague, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications.

About the NHL:
The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America. Today, the NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League’s international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other sport. The NHL entertains more than 250 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, NASN, ASN and NHL Network™) and radio (NHL Radio™, Sirius XM Radio and XM Canada). Through the NHL Foundation, the League’s charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer™ and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

About Stan Lee
Stan Lee, Founder, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of POW! Entertainment, LLC Stan Lee’s famous co-creations include Spider-Man®, The Incredible Hulk®, X-Men®, The Fantastic Four® and Iron Man® among many others. Lee, known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel® Comics to its preeminent position in the comic book industry, first became publisher of Marvel® Comics in 1972 and is presently the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel® Enterprises, Inc.

About SLG Entertainment, LLC
Formed in 2008, SLG Entertainment, LLC is a company whose vision is to merge the worlds of entertainment and sports by creating, developing and exploiting original superhero content derived from the intellectual property owned or controlled by professional and amateur sports organizations. It’s owners include, Stan Lee and POW! Entertainment, award-winning producer Adam Baratta, Aldo LaPietra, Mark Terry, co-creators Tony Chargin and Jake Shapiro, and Academy Award nominated producer and former owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Howard Baldwin.

About POW! Entertainment, LLC
POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment, LLC, an advanced media and entertainment company, was founded by world famous comic book and motion picture icon Stan Lee, together with award winning producer Gill Champion and intellectual property specialist Arthur Lieberman, Esq. POW! Entertainment’s principals have extensive backgrounds in the entertainment industry encompassing the creation, production and licensing of original intellectual properties including some of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. POW! Entertainment, capitalizing on this combined expertise specializes in franchises for the entertainment industry, including animation and live-action feature films, plus television, DVDs, video games, merchandising, and related ancillary markets all of which contribute to global expansion.

NHL, the NHL Shield and the NHL Winter Classic word mark are registered trademarks and NHL Network is a trademark of the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by a PR team related to The Guardian Project, Rocket XL.

Vinny Saponari in a March 2010 game against Merrimack College. Photo: Flickr user seriouslysilly (Some Rights Reserved)

The story of the day amongst BU hockey fans was the reported Boston College transfer application rejection by dismissed Terrier forward Vinny Saponari. The rumor had been lurking amongst those close to Boston area college hockey for a few weeks, and the story broke for good when US Hockey Report (aka, USHR, a subscription site that reports on junior, youth and college hockey) posted a piece this morning quoting Saponari’s USHL head coach.

Saponari’s current coach with the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints, Jim Montgomery, is the only interview in USHR’s brief report, which then spurred on reports by the Eagle Tribune’s Mike McMahon, BostonSportsU18 and the Daily Free Press’s Boston Hockey Blog. The Boston Hockey Blog tried to get a quote with Saponari, but “a call and text were not returned.” Word had spread outside of the USHR report – two individuals mentioned to me that area coaches had just started being open about the news last evening, and the news spread like wild fire through the expanding, but still very small, world of hockey.

As the news was circulating on Twitter, a few folks asked within social media, “Well, who are we all to be talking about a pretty embarrassing and private matter for this hockey player? Why is Saponari’s rejection news?”

There is no question to me that this is news – Saponari’s initial dismissal from BU was very public, as the Terrier program had to give reason for his absence in the then upcoming season, and he decided to engage on interviews on the subject. His decision to subsequently transfer to BC, BU’s biggest hockey rival, was made public on his own Facebook page and a few media sources.

So Saponari’s rejection by BC was going to become public whether he liked it or not. For better or worse, his own statements on the matter earlier this fall made us all expect to see him on the Conte Forum ice come next September. Because of the level of expectation already prepared, the college hockey watching public would find out about the rejection eventually. In hindsight, Saponari, his family and his “family advisors” should have kept word of his desire to transfer down Comm Ave quiet until all the i’s were dotted, t’s were crossed, and transcripts approved.

But where the critics of the publicity of Saponari’s denial may have a legitimate point is that the only on-the-record source through this entire story has been the player’s own USHL coach. Was it really appropriate for Montgomery to be so forthcoming with this news with USHR in the first place? Was it his place to do so? Was he representing the family, and if so, should he or the USHR author been more explicit in saying so?

On a much larger level, if a coach is part educator, part advisor, part mentor, and part counselor, shouldn’t he uphold a certain level of confidentiality?

I’m not defending Saponari in any way (if I don’t have anything nice to say, I’m not going to say anything at all), but didn’t he deserve a tad more from Montgomery? Should USHR have looked for a quote from Saponari or his family? If Montgomery was acting on their behalf, shouldn’t that have been more explicit?

What do you think?

The Events

On October 21st, I will be attending Boston Blogtoberfest for the first time. The event is sold out, otherwise I would urge you all to join me. Blogtoberfest is a gathering assembled by the past few years by Boston based social media specialist Jenny Frazier, and draws a wide-range of bloggers and social media types.

On November 6th, I will be attending the second Boston Sports Blogapalooza at The Baseball Tavern. Boston Sports Then and Now’s Joe Gill has put together a second edition of his sports writing bonanza, which will include panel discussions this go-around. No matter your level of experience within sports media (new blogger to a writer with a major site), the event is a must attend – the networking I did at the first edition is still paying dividends for my writing. Registration is still open, and I think Joe is even looking for some Sox and Celtics panelists – check out their registration page or their Facebook fan page.

SportsGirlKat’s Tips for Overcoming Networking Shyness

As an introvert, going to events like Blogtoberfest and Blogapalooza can be extremely intimidating. Having to speak to absolute strangers? Not my fortay. (Part of the reason why I became a writer in the first place.) However, if you ever want to parlay your blogging to a freelance writing career (which I am working towards), you must put yourself out there and break through the shyness. Here is what I’ll be doing to prepare for both events:

1) Stock up on business cards. They need not be fancy – just clean, clear and easy to read. I’ve seen great work done by UPrinting.com, which is one of the many online printing companies offering professional looking print goods at discount prices. Even if you go to an office supply store and buy print-your-own business card sets, it’s imperative to have them on you when you attend one of these events.

2) Practice a 20 second hook of what you are all about. While I write about a wide variety of sports, at the first Blogapalooza I knew I would have to stand out among the masses of Red Sox bloggers and Patriots writers. Therefore, I emphasized my lacrosse writing. I rehearsed how I would introduce myself, “Hi, I’m Kat. I write about professional and college lacrosse for several publications.” Don’t sound fake, and don’t recite the introduction verbatim every single introduction. Think of this 20 second hook as your angle – how are you going to stand out – and keep it in mind when having these discussions.

3) Be willing to listen. I am an adviser/mentor by training, so I genuinely enjoy listening to what others have to say. Being willing to actively listen to others thoughts, pitches, and what have you at networking events – even if you aren’t interested – earns you a ton of social currency. By being willing to listen to others, I earned introductions I would not have normally.

4) You are never too “big” to network. At the first Blogapalooza, several writers and editors from NESN and other larger media sources were in attendance, and this go-around, Comcast Sports Net New England is sponsoring the event. They understand the exposure their brand receives by attending an event with a hundred sports fans, and know how worthwhile it is. Your site might receive a 1,000 hits a day, or you might be a columnist with a bigger site, but there’s never a time to slow down the hustle. Keep telling people what you do, keep meeting people with similar interests, and stay hungry. Keep the exposure of your own brand high, just like the bigger media outlets are doing.

If you are attending either event, tell me in the comments! I would love to connect with you there!

I wrote about the facts of the case, as they are known, this afternoon at the Examiner. Not only is the story incredibly heartbreaking to the lacrosse world, it strikes another chord with me because I feel also for the administrators at UVA.

In my full-time job, I have served on a crisis response committee that responds to student deaths for the past four years. Trying to make sense of the tragedy that is a young man or woman passing away accidentally and suddenly, while consoling the students who comprised the deceased’s “second family” is a test of emotions. Add to that the close-knit quality of any athletic team, and the impact must be intense. UVA administrators are working overtime, providing counseling services to students, staff and faculty members, while trying to manage a controversy hungry media, and trying to be appropriately responsive to a grieving family.

On top of that, another student of theirs is being charged for murder, a charge that allows for an nearly automatic suspension in most university conduct codes. Suspension is not at all automatic – one can’t just press a button to suspend a student – especially in a day and age where students retain lawyers to represent them in noise violations, let alone a murder. While a student facing a murder charge has “bigger fish to fry,” you would be surprised at their priorities and assumptions. Parents stunned with the grief of losing the student they knew, a son or daughter who would never commit such a devastating crime, may believe that courses could be completed from a jail cell, or that the criminal process may speed along and allow for a student to come back to school that same semester.

I do not envy the administrators at the University of Virginia right now, but I believe they have the strength and abilities to provide the best outreach during this difficult time. My thoughts are with everyone connected with this tragedy.

“Oh, absolutely not,” immediately commented Tricia.

I nodded in agreement. “Chris Brown ruined it for himself.” I began reading off the other options, and we ended up settling on my original choice.

Later that evening, I was thinking about our immediate dismissal of Forever. It has a home in my iPod, after a friend’s wedding played it mere weeks after it was released and I thought it was an ideal wedding reception song. Brown, however, became caught up in his domestic abuse scandal with fellow pop star Rhianna months later, and the song went from Fred The iPod’s “Most Played” list to the “Hey, You Remember You Paid 99 Cents For These Songs, Right?” list.

But my immediate dismissal of the song on Friday pained me. It’s such a fun song, even if it was originally written for a gum commercial. It has such a good sentiment. The artist, however, no longer has that good sentiment. Brown is a musical pariahs, admitting that he handled his issues with his girlfriend horribly and being the inspiration for one of my least favorite songs of the last ten years, Rhianna’s Russian Roulette.

Has Forever thus become the new Rock and Roll Part 2 – a song with a very good purpose, that can be used very well for the best of circumstances, but unplayable because of the artist’s behavior? Forever‘s purpose is for celebratory and romantic circumstances, like a wedding, but no one dares to play it because of Brown’s behavior. Gary Glitter’s Rock and Roll Part 2 is probably one of the most iconic sports songs ever, with such a distinct cadence for goal, touchdown or point scoring celebrations, but no one dares to play it because Glitter allegedly molested children in Vietnam.

And are we all fooling each other by not playing these songs? Is my strong resistance to Forever, and are arena management’s strong resistance to Rock and Roll Part 2, a statement of our own personal dislike for the artist’s behavior, or because we are more concerned with the reactions of others if we played it? Are we appalled at the artist’s actions, or worried that others will be appalled at us for playing the song by an awful acting artist?

Will someone need to come along and lightly remake Forever – like they have for Rock and Roll Part 2, with a version that sounds exactly the same as the original by studio musicians – in order for us to be able to listen to it without feeling self-conscious? Or if the remake is too close, do you just remove that song from your catalog because it will elicit the same negative reaction?

The larger question might always exist – can you separate the art from the artist? Can you separate the athletic performance from the athlete? Can you admire the performance while removing the artist’s or athlete’s non-performance related negative acts? (And given the recent unpleasantness surrounding two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, this is a pertinent subject. Can Steelers fans still be grateful for those Super Bowl performances, or are they tarnished?)

Not an iced coffee, but an example of how much both my cat and I run on Dunkin'. And why it's weird to go in there as a Bills fan.

Sunday morning, I woke up earlier than usual, and decided to take advantage of this extra time and do laundry. I got ready, threw on my Buffalo Bills sweatshirt, Bills earrings and jeans, and beat the crowd to my local Allston laundromat by all of five minutes. I snapped up my three washers, started my laundry, and headed over to the Dunkin’ Donuts across the street. This is the DD’s where one of the employee’s routinely refers to me as “Ms. Cinna-mina-mon”, after the morning I was more dead to the world than usual and couldn’t say cinnamon to save my life. (Because I live on a small cinnamon iced coffee with cream and sugar. If this is not drank in the morning, than my day will be largely unsuccessful.)

Being 8am on a Sunday morning in Allston, Massachusetts (aka college party central of America), my usual swamped Dunkin’ Donuts was dead. One person in front of me getting a Coolata, one person at the doggie window getting something equally as complicated, so my Bills clad self waiting patiently in line, ready to order my iced cinnamon when it was my turn.

Someone else entered the Dunkin’ Donuts and got in line next to me. He cleared his throat and then stifled a laugh. I snuck a glance. This young man was wearing a new but fashionably antique-y looking Pat-the-Patriot-sporting New England Patriots sweatshirt.

I snapped my head back just as it was my turn to order.

“May I please have a small iced cinnamon coffee with cream and sugar?” The worker went on her way to prepare my coffee, and I moved down to the cash register.

The worker that had been helping the customer at the doggie window came back to the main cash register, turned to Pat-the-Patriot, and asked, “How can I help you?” He ordered a medium coffee of some sort, but while he was saying his order, she looked at me. Then looked back at him. Then looked at me again. Then Pat-the-Patriot looked at me. Feeling stared at, I looked at them.

The Dunkin’ Donuts worker, a young girl who is friendly with everyone that has ever walked into that store, pouted in my direction. “I’m so sorry,” she said, hurrying off to get Pat-the-Patriot’s coffee.

I looked down at my Bills sweatshirt. “Oh,” I said. “That.”

Pat-the-Patriot nodded.

I thought about a smart comeback, but it was 8am on a Sunday and I had not yet had coffee. I couldn’t think of anything quick enough. Luckily, my coffee was ready, I paid my worker – who didn’t give me two glances, because she sees me a good four times a week, and grabbed a straw and was on my way.

Being a fan of a team other than the home team – especially when said team is more unlucky than Brian Urlacher trying to play an entire season – is a never-ending study in sociology. As long as I choose to wear Bills wear outside my own home, I’ll experience these uneasy interactions.

******

Quotes actually said to me this week from friends, colleagues and family who know I’m a Bills fan:

“After that fumble, I immediately thought of you and laughed.” – a colleague

“Hi, how are you? Are you…okay?” – my future mother-in-law

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.” – a comment on my Facebook wall

“Being a Bills fan must be like getting up in the middle of February, looking out the window to find a freak snowstorm, knowing you still have to go to work, and not having your car start. Every single day.” – a local news anchor on Tuesday morning.