Remember that joke from almost all the episodes in the Charlie Brown cartoon? Lucy holds a football for Charlie to kick but pulls it away before he boots it, causing the clumsy kicker to fall on his back time and time again.
That segment pretty much sums up Buffalo sports.
For the past four years, I have heard Buffalonians become excited and hopeful for the Sabres and Bills, and every time they head into the offseason shaking their heads and wondering what happened.
That led me to wonder: how could someone be a fan of Buffalo Bills?
A friend tried to explain it to me. He said that everyone who is now of college age grew up when the Bills were fun to watch and made it to the Super Bowl in four straight years.
But he conveniently left out the part where the Bills lost every one of those games.
Oh, now I get it. Watching a team lose four consecutive Super Bowls would make me a fan for life. Now I understand why Bills fans sit in the freezing cold to watch them lose to the Browns 6-3.
Being a Yankee fan, I had to hear about an alleged curse that prevented the Red Sox from winning all those years up until 2004. This justified why everything bad always happens to their team and why they could never best the Bronx Bombers in the playoffs.
But there is no curse for Buffalo fans to blame their failures on.
The Bills and their fans had to deal with constant heartbreak, and after going through all that, they are still proving that things aren't going to get any better.
All that needs to be said is "Wide Right" and "Music City Miracle," and after this season, "1-15."
But Buffalo sports aren't all bad, right? At least the Sabres compete in their sport.
Oops, I spoke too soon. I forgot about the fact that they have never won a Stanley Cup and lost their most recent opportunity on a controversial triple-overtime goal. That must have been awesome to watch.
The Sabres couldn't win with one of the best goalies of all-time, Dominic Hasek, and now they can't win with Team USA goalie Ryan Miller.
Not to mention their great decision-making. Like when they wouldn't trade Derek Roy and Drew Stafford for Andre Kopitar, one of the best young players in the league.
Now, to make matters worse, these sports failures have translated to the college level. The Buffalo Bulls were also unable to win the big game in 2008 when they were selected to play in the International Bowl.
However, all of this can't be said without acknowledging that Buffalo still has one of the most loyal fan bases in the nation.
But even that is starting to wane.
With the Bills' 1-8 start, they are poised to miss the playoffs for the 11th straight season, and it shows when one looks up at the stands.
On Sunday, the Bills had their second black out of the season because they failed to sell out their stadium.
And as blackouts continue to grow in number, there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. I for one would rather black out than remember all of the terrible Buffalo losses of the past.
E-mail: Jacob.laurenti@ubspectrum.com
