Do you have a favorite AL team?

[jjkoestler]

I'm trying to pick an AL team to root for, but I'm coming up empty. I've narrowed down my choices to the following:

 

Tigers

- My partner's family is from Michigan

- I am a Lions fan

- I have a man crush on Miggy

 

Rays

- Lot's of exciting prospects to follow

- Well run organization

- David Price and Hell Boy

- Easy to root against Yanks and Sox

 

Indians

- "Major League"

- Under dogs

- Cleveland seems similar to Milwaukee

 

White Sox

- Mutual hatred for the Cubs

- Ozzie is entertaining (for better or worse)

- Close to Milwaukee

 

Do you have a favorite AL club? If so, how did you become a fan?

[Invader3K]

Mine are the White Sox, sort of by default. I used to hate them when Milwaukee was still in the AL, but they basically won me over in 2004. I just don't really care about any other AL teams that much, but I like the White Sox. I also kind of like the Royals because of their prospects, plus they have a neat stadium and deserve to win again at some point.

[craigharmann]

Rangers. They're good and that's why. I could never root for Boston or New York. Too snobby and annoying if you ask me. I'll take the Rangers any day.

[cnycerveceros]

I follow and basically root for all the AL central teams come playoff time, but I root for the White Sox over all of them because I moved to northern Indiana in the late 90s and it was an easy trip to take in a game. I came to enjoy the Sox thing which is to some degree an attempt to be the anti-Cubs, which I'm all for. The exception is the Twins, a team I can't stand. That's a hold over from the Brewers AL days mostly, because I just didn't like them back then, for no real reason other than I cheer against all MN teams.

[LS Brewer]

I really don't pay attention much to the AL because I really enjoy the NL style of baseball a lot more. The DH seems artificial to me.

I guess if I had to choose, it would be the White Sox since I live in the SW suburbs of Chicago and there are a fair amount of White Sox fans around who get pretty excited about the team. The thing I like about the White Sox is their attempts to reach out to the community. For example, when my second son was born, the White Sox gave us four tickets to a game just because. Additionally, they put on a very good one week skills camp for kids who are just learning to play baseball. You don't see the Cubs do community outreach the same way you see the Sox do it. Also, US Cellular is not a bad stadium to take your kids to a game (as long as it's not a Friday or Saturday night.)

[kestrel79]

I have always rooted for the A's.

 

Being a uniform nerd I always liked their simple uniforms and unique colors to baseball. But it wasn't until the "Big 3" era teams that I really started rooting for them. Barry Zito was my favorite MLB player for a long time. Plus they weren't a huge market team with a giant payroll so I could relate to them.

 

A few other teams I have always liked are the Royals, Rays, and Blue Jays. I like the smaller underdog teams.

[JoeHova]

Since Ichiro came over, I've been following the Mariners pretty closely. I followed them a little bit before that too (maybe because of guilt over Milwaukee stealing their 1st team). It's actually great to have west coast team to follow with Extra Innings because usually after the Brewers are done playing, most of the Mariners game is still on tap. The time zone difference makes it a lot easier to keep tabs on a 2nd team.

[bucksman4]

White Sox. I live in the suburbs of Chicago and have a Sox hat to wear around during the summer and particularly during their inter league series vs the Cubs.

 

Mostly, it gives me the opportunity to hate the Cubs from both an AL and NL perspective. The Cubs rule this town even though the White Sox continue to field a better team most years and it is annoying. It all boils down to the Wrigley factor. People love to see and be seen in Wrigleyville and the Cell is in the middle of the ghetto.

 

Cubs will always rule this town and so I cheer for the under-appreciated Sox.

[Warning Track Power]

Angels

 

Growing up about 45 minutes from the Big A gave me quite an affinity for the team who always played in a big market but despite that, always felt more like the Brewers than the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox. Additionally, their owner is awesome enough to #1. Not raise beer prices #2. Party with a fan & #3. Say no dealing with Boras (though I bet he's going to change his tune with Prince). Assuming Prince leaves, I am hoping he comes here so I can still root for him instead of going to the Cubs where I will loathe him.

 

Like LS said though, I fancy the NL and its style far more than the AL. Maybe the Angels would be #2 if they played in the NL but because they are an AL team, I would have to put the Dodgers as the second favorite to the Brewers.

[jason21nl]

Yankees. I have rooted for them for a long time now pretty much because so many people hate them.

[Big Ern2440]

Rangers - Dad lives in Fort Worth, went down there for summers as a kid and went to as many Ranger games as Brewer games. Saw Nolan Ryan in his Ranger heyday and was hooked.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I pull for the Angels...it's become a much better place out here to watch a game than Dodger Stadium since they redid the place. The team is good and fun. The fans are cool...also a very family friendly place. Fewer knuckleheads than up here in LA.

 

I lucked out and got tickets to game 6 of the World Series in 2002 against the Giants...still the most amazing baseball game I've ever been too. That rally monkey won me over. Plus, we always have 1982 on them so I have no Brewers grudge to get over.

 

I also like the Indians, Mariners and am starting to follow the Royals after the Greinke trade. Used to like the Red Sox until they won and became the Yankees.

[joepepsi]

I grew up an Oriole fan, waaayyyyyyy before moving to Wisconsin and being won over by Uecker. From 66-83 there was no better team to cheer for in all of MLB. It's all but forgotten these days, but the Orioles-Yankees rivalry was once as heated as today's Red Sox-Yankees.

 

I also like the Twins-my Dad is a big fan. Then the Blue Jays; used to cheer for the Tigers and White Sox and Mariners too. I admire the Red Sox organization and the strength of the team-they are not unlike the Orioles in their glory days.

 

I've always been more attached to the AL than NL. When I had ExtraInnings for 3-4 I was more inclined to watch AL games than NL. So many NL teams just seem to kinda suck.

 

But Orioles and Brewers is how I roll.

[theavrock]

I know everyone hates on the Red Sox, but they are my AL team.

 

I feel like they get the evil empire treatment because ESPN loves them and they have a rivalry with the Yankees. Granted they sign a lot of big name free agents, but a lot of their impact players are home grown (Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lester, Youkilis etc) and the homegrown thing is really overblown. The Brewers who everyone would call a "homegrown" team has 5 of 8 position players and 2 of 5 starters who came up through their minor league system.

 

To me the Red Sox have always seemed like a blue collar team in a blue collar city. I just have always had something for them for whatever reason and then I was in Boston in '03 when they won the WS and it really sealed it for me.

 

That being said the reason I want so bad for a WS for the Brewers is because I have seen the insanity of it in Boston and loved that feeling. The Crew will always be far and away my team.

[TheCrew07]

I'm a Rays and Indians fan.

 

As my focus has changed over the years I've grown into a huge fan of how the Rays built their team. I think the way they exploited the market and innovation like James Shields' contract have gone largely unnoticed by baseball fans, they've been ahead of the curve every step of the way.

 

I have personal connection to the Indians, they treated him very well, so I have an affinity for that organization as well.

[greeg35]

White Sox for me. I was/am a big Big Hurt fan as well as Harold Baines and our mutual hate of the Cubs and Cubs fans bring us together.

[ilovebeer]

If I had to pick I guess it would be the Rangers.

[davego]

White Soxs once the 'crew flipped. I never hated the Cubs 'till then, either. Funny how things change.

[patrickgpe]

i cheer for the indians.I think i started when major league came out, and a couple years after that was there hayday. i think the cities are pretty similar and i can feel for the championship deprived series. the browns are my favorite afc team too. can't cheer for the cavs though since they are in the bucks division.

[razzzorsharp]

I think I am in the minority as I am not really a fan of baseball unless the Brewers are playing. I went to an Oakland/Seattle game and was bored and left after 7 innings. I don't watch any games, even playoffs, that don't involve the Brewers.

 

If I had to pick a team, maybe the Twins.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I'm not a fan of anyone except the Brewers. I enjoy watching other teams plays, especially the playoffs, but I can't say I like any AL teams or have a favorite.

[patrickgpe]

i think its good to have an AL team if your team is bad so you have another team to follow, the indians were good while the brewers were not. I guess its a little different now, but its nice to see them doing well.

[ninja33]

I've always kind of been a fan of the A's. I think it started when I was young and I just liked their colors, but as I started to get really into baseball I liked the way they built their team and enjoyed cheering for them against the richer teams like the Yankees (of course that never worked out). I usually pull for the Twins in the playoffs. And I don't really cheer for but hope teams like the Indians (Cleveland needs SOMETHING), Royals and Orioles (good franchises that deserve better) do well. And the blue jays (joe carter! an early, awesome sports memory for me). So I guess my answer is not really...I end up pulling for the not red sox or yankees. And don't really care for the Angels, Rangers or White Sox for whatever reason. Although my brother in law grew up on the north side of chicago in a family of cubs fans and became a sox fan...so for his sake i guess they can do well.

Wow, that was a whole lot of nothing I just went through up there http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif. go brewers, i guess.

[And That]

I'm a Rays and Indians fan.

Those are my two favorites, too. You basically can't not admire the way the Rays have built their organization over the past 5ish years. They'll be right there with the Red Sox and Yankees for years.

 

I've always liked the Indians. I think it has something to do with Major League taking place in County Stadium.

[Marc Newfield of Dreams]

I'm not a fan of anyone except the Brewers. I enjoy watching other teams plays, especially the playoffs, but I can't say I like any AL teams or have a favorite.

Agreed. I'll root for teams in certain situations, or good stories in the AL, but I can't say I have a favorite.