This was after I beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl…
By Joe Torosian
“In one thing he is very strict, he wants his women young and picked and as for men, he won’t have any tramps here.”
—Horatio W. Jamison
Kick it!
Right off the Top: Where did all of these Rams fans come from?
I don’t want to be a snob or a punk, but I was advocating for a Rams return to Los Angeles when I tapped out my first Fanview column back in October of 1998.
Ownership can change, cities can change, and all the cosmic tumblers of the universe can come together (Terrance Mann wrote that) once in a while for a championship.
Still, folks, this is the Rams we are talking about. It’s in their DNA to always boil themselves down to tragedy and pain. To rip the heart out of those that surrender their passions to them.
They are the Bengals-West.
If you don’t think there is a correlation to that then just look at the team’s performance through the 1970s. Now granted they didn’t lose five consecutive first round playoff games (they were never that pathetic) but by advancing to the NFC title games in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1978 they heightened our hurt by getting so close. Building into us emotional scar tissue that pulsed reminders every time kickoff to a big game loomed. Never letting us forget: Doomsday, Metropolitan Stadium, Bobby Bryant, John Taylor, or even Tom Brady.
So much so, that for many, our prayers became, “Oh Lord, I don’t care about them winning the Super Bowl but just let them get there. Please!”
So then the year we do get to the Super Bowl (1979) and throw the game away (Nolan Cromwell dropping a definite pick-six, Eddie Brown blowing coverage on John Stallworth, Vince Ferragamo missing a wide open Billy Waddy in the fourth quarter) we, as fans, couched ourselves in the moral victory.
Part of John Facenda’s closing line from the NFL Films feature on Super Bowl 14 was; “The Los Angeles Rams earned a dignity in defeat which they had never achieved in victory…”
Except for a few blips in history, that’s who the Rams have always been.
I want the team to win ten titles in ten years, but it’s not who they are.
I hope the new Rams fans and the suddenly Always Been a Rams Fan people remember this when Nick Foles throws another pick, another highly drafted offensive lineman turns into a bust, and Todd Gurley decides to hold-out for a bigger deal.
I hope they remember that the very DNA of the Rams dictates that it is hard to be a fan of this team.
Nothing hard about being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Nothing hard about being a New England Patriots fan or a Denver Broncos fan. Oakland Raiders fans shouldn’t complain because you had a run winning from the mid-60’s through the 1983 season. A run highlighted by four Super Bowl appearances, three titles.
The Rams haven’t had that…All those glory teams of the 1950s won just one title.
I want championships now, right now, not in 2019, but I am a Rams fan and being a Rams fan means I have to expect pain. No matter how happy I am that they are back home.
The question is do the new Rams fans and the Always Been a Rams fan bandwagoners know this?
***
Midbits (same as ‘Tidbits’):
Midbits: The NFL Network does the breaking news on the Rams coming back and the best video clip they can come up with (and play over and over) of the team in its initial LA run is of Chris Miller throwing a pass to Todd Kinchen? Weak.
They didn’t have any Steve Dils film available?
Midbits: Does my heartbreak for the St. Louis fans losing their team? Did their hearts break for us when they took our Rams? I’m sick of hearing the talking heads saying: “The other part of this story is a community losing a team they supported and loved…” yada, yada, yada…
I feel bad for the people losing their jobs, but are they unique in the American experience? You telling me no one else has ever experienced a company move and had to look for a new gig?
Midbits: It would be appropriate since the NFL is all about making dough (nothing wrong with that), for the Rams to wear the old blue and white uniform while playing in the Coliseum. It would be neat to see them wear it until the new stadium opens, but even one season would be cool.
Midbits: How about this one for Stan Kroenke…Dick Enberg is retiring after this coming baseball season…How about coaxing him back for a season in the booth? At least for home games…How awesome would that be?
Midbits: Chargers, stay home!
The Dude abides…
612
Psalms 105:4
Contact Joe at joe@midvalleysports.com
Author of “Tangent Dreams: A High School Football Novel” available through Amazon.com
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