21 Philadelphia Phillies (Nola) @ Cincinnati Reds (Gray, S)

BostonRoss 2021-06-02 22:21:58 UTC #121

My sons (late 20s/early 30s) are Boston sports fans. Peer pressure > dad pressure though it may have helped that 1) the Boston teams were the ones on TV and 2) I root for the Boston teams when it doesn’t conflict with the Philly teams. In baseball there were never any conflicts until there was interleague play.

julio 2021-06-04 01:31:52 UTC #122

I spent one year in Boston, in the early '70s. For whatever reason, that was enough for me to adopt the Sox as my second baseball team (not displacing the Phils, but any other time...), and I still like to see the Bruins win (how could one not love Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito...OK, and Derek Sanderson!). Didn't care a fig about the Celts (or the Sixers, for that matter). I'm still more likely to pull for the Steelers than the Eagles (grew up in central PA, was a PSU fan, then student, now alum - several guys went from Happy Valley to Pittsburgh) - but it's the NFL, and I can't get very excited about it.

Nothing displaces the Phillies. Since they're not in our division, I have some sympathy for the Pirates (my wife's family is from Pittsburgh; her grandfather was a big Pirates fan).

zambonir 2021-06-04 02:16:51 UTC #123

I have mostly lived in Texas as an adult and was happy to follow the Astros, largely because I also watched their AA team during some very good years. I also got to make fun to all my friends about 1980 at the same time.

The funny thing is I became less interested in them when they moved to the AL, even though it would have been easier to have an "AL Team." I did pull for hard for them in that World Series. Less so now.

I also have a soft spot for the Orioles growing up as I'm sure a lot of people did in the region.

But yes, nothing supplants the Phillies, just like I would never, living now in Portland, root for the Blazers against the Sixers if we ever get that Finals rematch.