Plight of the “bandwagoner” fan

I want to be a Lightning fan. I want to be a Rowdies fan. Maybe one day I’ll want to be a Tornadoes fan, too. But I’m not sure how to approach joining the fandom without coming across as the dreaded bandwagoner.

We all loathe them. The one fan who suddenly appears in the bleachers, desperately trying to throw around stats as they scramble to memorize a team’s star player’s name. They’re the same people who only like the Broncos for Peyton Manning or follow the team after a sudden winning streak.

I’m desperate to not be perceived this way.

It’s a sincere effort to join a fan base. Learn the nuances of the game, cheer on a couple of games and eventually, you’ll get a grasp of your new team’s attitude.

But how do you beat the sneers and eye-rolling of “veteran” fans?

Ignore ’em. The sports snobs aren’t your crowd anyway. Sure, their loyalty is admirable but they shut out the whole purpose of the game: community through competition. Plus, you’ll eventually catch up on that savvy knowledge and camaraderie with time.

Don’t be afraid to be a newbie to a fan base.

Enny Romero, fresh pitches in September

The Rays’ pitching staff must really love turbulent Septembers.

In the final weeks of the 2013 season of Major League Baseball, up until the finale of the Rays and Orioles series, has been stressful enough for fans and players alike.

Pitching was weak against the Texas Rangers, but was revitalized with the debut of left handed pitcher Enny Romero.  The pitcher debuted with four and two-thirds innings, but it was enough to alter the momentum of the team.

Romero, fresh from the Dominican Republic, allowed only a single hit in his four and two-thirds innings. The Rays announced his debut Saturday night before his start on Sunday.

In a Times brief by Rays beat writer Marc Topkin, this was noted:

“Romero, 22, spent most of the season at Double-A Montgomery. He made one start for Triple-A Durham, throwing eight scoreless innings against Baltimore’s Norfolk team.”

Romero pitched in Double-A this season, putting up a 2.76 ERA. His fastball dominated the game, keeping the Orioles disoriented in the Sunday match-up.

“Unfortunately, they’ve been like workhorses lately but we have a bunch of them down there so we like it when they pitch a little bit less than a little bit more,” pitching coach Jim Hickey said to SunSports.

Just days before, the Rays rotated through over eight pitchers in games, in large part due to a struggling starter rotation. Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore and David Price have had shaky starts, which were not recovered in the series against the Rangers.

It’s a transition of pitching strength.

Over the weekend, starting pitcher Alex Cobb pitched twelve over eight and a third innings. In fact, the Orioles only scored once in the game. Cobb was pulled from the game and Rodney wrapped the game up quick.

The Rays must clinch a series against the Yankees to hold on to their top spot in the Wildcard Race.  The series begins tonight at 7:05 at Yankee Stadium in New York, SunSports. Starting pitcher is LHP Matt Moore.

Related articles

• Rays call up Romero for start vs. Orioles (TBO.com)
• Enny Romero Backs Up Bold Tweet in Tampa Bay Rays Debut (bleacherreport.com)