Say the Pirates lose today, what’s worse the pain Pirates fans will feel or the pain Braves fans feel right now? Or the pain that A’s fans would feel should they lose tomorrow night. The Pirates are the Cinderella team of the 2013 playoffs. But the Braves and A’s keep making the playoffs only to get knocked out before they reach the Whirled Serious.
Last night I IM’d with an A’s fan and he said the Game 4 loss would haunt him for the rest of the winter. Unless, I said, they win Game 5.
He said, “The A’s never win Game 5.”
And what could I say to that? Other than I hope they prove him wrong.
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I think Pirates fans are experiencing higher highs, and lower lows because they're new to this playoff thing. They don't know how to win or lose in October yet.
Not to diminish their pain, but Braves and A's fans have to be used to October disappointment by now. They've come to expect it.
Yanks fans got pretty used to it to, getting bounced in the Division Series - but it always feels lousy.
If the Pirates lose, some of their fans will be satisfied just to have made the playoffs, but I suspect the majority will be crushed.
Me? I'm rooting for a ring for Mattingly, but it would be fun to see the A's and Pirates advance.
2) I see it the other way. Because you are used to the disappointments doesn't lessen them. If anything, they are a continuation, with each new disappointment carrying the weight of the previous ones.
yeah, I can see it that way, too. It's hard to quantify a fan base's overall level of disappointment. I just see the Pirates fans going through these wild mood swings because the experience is new to them.
Think back to 1995, 1996. I remember hanging on every pitch like it was the most important thing in the world. In recent years, I've watched the games intensely, but it's nothing like it was for me back in '95 '96 '97 when I went through higher highs and lower lows with the October wins and losses.
3) True but the Yanks have 5 championship rings to reflect on in the past 20 years. The A's have squat.
Still, point taken about the Pirates fans, too.
It's a matter of perspective. Are the symptoms of Chronic Playoff Futility (CPF) (see Braves, Atlanta) more severe than the pains that come with Chronic Regular Season Futility (see Mets, New York)?
Is it more depressing/frustrating to expect your team to win, and watch them lose - than expecting your team to lose, and watching them live up to your low expectations?