Boys will be boys, or so the adage goes.
When it comes to sports, it seems as though that rings louder than at any other time. Nothing can stop a man from supporting his sports teams, as long as it does not conflict with an anniversary or birthday.
Even then, my father has celebrated the anniversary of his marriage to my mother the weekend following their actual Oct. 20 date. Why? Well, their anniversary happened to fall on the same night that my high school was playing our rival in football. Cleveland stops one night a year: for that game. Seemingly, so did my father's marital duties.
What is it about that loyalty that makes a man get into a two-hour argument with his wife just to be able to go to a football game?
I suppose it's pride in where you're from and which teams you have backed for your entire life.
That is the only reason I can think of for grown men to leave their homes, families and lives for a weekend to travel to New York City to watch a clock count down in 15, 10, and five-minute increments.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again: the NFL Draft.
The one time each year that a man named Mel Kiper Jr. actually matters.
Sidebar. Who is Mel Kiper Jr. and what are his credentials? I want to know how a man with hair that bad can be such a respected "fountain of knowledge" when it comes to college football players and their ability to play on the next level. And, I do not know Mel Kiper Sr., so I am sure Junior does not need the qualification at the end.
This "science" is so inexact; one man's opinion can alter the course of the whole thing dramatically. Three weeks ago Arkansas quarterback turned potential NFL wide receiver Matt Jones was a predicted third-round pick. ESPN's Christ Mortensen then published an article praising Jones' physical ability, and now Jones is projected to go in the bottom of the first round. That is quite a jump.
So, we have all read our draft guides, perused ESPN.com for countless hours on the company dime and looked at "Big Al's Mock Draft" all in search of whether or not the Arizona Cardinals will select Jamaica Rector, a wide receiver from Northwest Missouri State, in the seventh round with the 226th overall pick of the draft.
But, why?
There is no use for this knowledge five years down the road. Half of the players whose "measurables" I have memorized will be fruitless. "…But he has potential to be successful down the road, and I knew about him first."
A decent attempt, but half of the potential these guys boast will never come to fruition.
I was as excited as anyone when the Browns took a rifle-armed Spergon Wynn in the sixth round of the 2000 draft. Surely this underrated stud from Southwest Texas State would blossom into a terrific pocket passer, right?
Wynn is currently the third-string quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
I am as guilty as anyone; I made plans with two buddies weeks ago to head down to a bar downtown and watch the draft on Saturday. And I will watch it, believe you me, and I know why: hope.
At the end of the season, unless you're a Patriots fan, you're aware of all the holes your team has to plug to stop the water from rushing out of the dam.
Every pick, every trade is another Dutch boy, who no doubt that will be the savior.
The NFL is full of parity, we all know it. The San Diego Chargers went from owning the first overall pick in the 2004 draft, to being a blown field goal-by another worthless Iowan-away from moving past the Jets in the playoffs. So, surely the 49ers could do the same thing this season.
Probably not, to be honest, but there is that hope. Fans flock to Javits Center in New York City by the thousands to sit there all day to watch this.
It truly is a spectacle. Seeing 40-year-old stock brokers and investment bankers, with faces painted green and white, and screaming "J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS" for hours is humorous. Although, I can never figure out why Jets fans even bother to attend: They always boo the player the Jets draft, but that is neither here nor there.
The draft is like alcohol and Homer J. Simpsom said it best: "It is the cause of and solution to all of life's problems."
The draft gives fans optimism toward a successful season, but no doubt most picks will be busts, and only one team will be left.
That is fine by me, though; I will live in my delusional world with the rest of my sophomoric football friends.
After all, this is all we really have left. Otherwise, it's back to waiting until next year.
So, bottoms up, and here's to the Super Bowl Championship each team is bound to win after this weekend.
