Somewhere within the febrile mind of the common sports fan lies a primitive area -- occasionally called the lizard brain -- in which not only must our favored teams win and prosper, but hated others must be pounded at every opportunity. The object of scorn is often a rival; sometimes the target has spurned our affections and moved on (hi there, Bret and Jen). More often, though, it's a team whose sin is winning too much.
In baseball, those guys have always been the Yankees, of course. 2013 was mostly a pleasant season because Rivera, Pettitte, Jeter et al. are fading away, and we might finally be able to enjoy the playoffs without worrying that the Yankees will drag a 28th championship back to the Bronx.
New York did resurrect itself to some extent down the stretch, but as the final week of the regular season began, the Yankees' chances of grabbing the last AL wild card appeared slim to none. Be still my bitter heart.
Football is a mixed bag so far. The Steelers and Giants, with 10 Super Bowl titles between them, are cover-your-eyes bad, by which I mean beautiful. Seriously, screw the Giants. At 1-2, the 49ers and Packers must be putting smiles on faces somewhere.
College football is becoming an intolerable situation for us haters. Alabama hasn't played especially well this season, yet the Crimson Tide are still number one. Plus, look at their schedule for the rest of the year. Unless LSU goes into Tuscaloosa and steals one on Nov. 9, Alabama might be playing for its fourth BCS title in five years. Even that probably won't be enough to cheer up cranky old Nick Saban, which will make everyone loathe him all the more.
