Growing up in a suburb of San Francisco during the ‘80s, it wasn’t hard falling head over heals for the local sports teams. The Bay Area squads were at their pinnacle and it seemed like the products they were putting on the field were immaculate. And at times they were.

Having parents that were not die-hard sports fans didn’t really help my progress in learning the ins and outs of sports, but it didn’t hurt that my next-door neighbor was Fred Quillan, the center for the San Francisco 49ers at the time. Seeing him leave for games and practices was surreal, almost like watching a warrior right before he heads off to battle. It made me want to learn everything sports related. And the sport really didn’t matter, Football, Baseball, Tennis, whatever.

I have followed the 49ers and the Giants faithfully for years, hoping that some day soon they will return to the teams that made me fall in love with them in the first place. This has been a true test over the past few years since both teams have been absolutely terrible. Despite these downfalls, it hasn’t stopped me from supporting their colors whenever I get the chance.

In 1991, the San Jose Sharks made their Bay Area debut and the seed for my obsession was planted. Learning this “new” game was difficult mainly because finding a hockey fan in California was harder to uncover than Waldo. Thanks to Electronic Arts and the random Sharks games that were actually televised, my knowledge of the sport was able to grow. I have followed the Sharks faithfully ever since and for the first time last year became a Season Ticket Holder!

Because of the Sharks early struggles and my need to learn more about the sport and how a good team plays it, I leached on to the New York Rangers. They were a strong team at the time and because of this learning experience they provided me, they get my Silver Team Award (basically a second Favorite Team Award). The 1994 playoffs, when the Sharks upset the Red Wings in the first round and the Rangers took home the Stanley Cup after a 54-year drought, pushed me towards the crazed hockey fan that I am today. I got my first taste of a playoff upset and got to see the elation of winning the Cup. Now only if the Sharks can accomplish this task!

In short, Im a huge sports fan that has a slight Bay Area bias. I really love hockey but football and baseball are close seconds. I also enjoy horse racing and tennis as well which many people find odd. I hope this isn’t the last thing I write for this site and I look forward to giving you my take on this crazy world that we can’t get enough of!

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