Sports blogging: nice guys finish last

What a way to start a Monday morning.

I have three favorite professional sports teams (I don't follow pro basketball). In the NFL, I've been a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since their second season, in 1977, and next year will be my 10th with season tickets. My favorite hockey team is the St. Louis Blues, dating back to my law school days in the Gateway to the West. And my longest-standing fave team is the Baltimore Orioles -- I was born in Baltimore and can remember being an Orioles fan as early as 1970, when they won their second World Series.

But today, I learned that The Sporting News recently named the Orioles and the Blues as the worst franchises in their respective sports. And it's not like the Buccaneers (who were "beaten out" by the Oakland Raiders as the worst franchise in the NFL) are much better, since for years (say, until 1997) they were the losingest team in pro sports.

Looking on the bright side, though, at least when people call me a loser, I can imagine they are referring to the teams I follow. (Don't ruin my fantasy here ...)