Welcome To Browns Nation Mads

I dressed my youngest in her Cleveland Browns onezie today since it is game day. This is a tradition she will become a part of as a member of my bloodline and lineage. While my oldest remains in a "tug-o-war" between me and her Bungle loyalist on her mother's side, my youngest will be pure.

They both will end up Steeler fans when they hit adolescence and feel the need to rebel against me realizing what will hit home the hardest. But that is another blog post for another day.

Today I get to enjoy the fresh indoctrination of the baby into Brownshood. It is not a joy. There is nothing pleasurable about it really. It is a burden and a job that requires much stamina, patience and intestinal fortitude.

Some call it tough love.

But she will not need to prove her loyalty to anybody. No one will question it when they realize she is a life member of the Cleveland Sports Fan club.

My child, there will be much heartache in your future. You will learn to enter every new season with much anticipation and excitement only to have it stolen from you within minutes of its genesis. Maybe it will be three penalties on the kickoff. Maybe it will be an ugly turnover on the first play from scrimmage after said kickoff. Maybe it will be injuries to several critical starters before the season begins. Maybe it will be a loss despite leading the game when the clock struck 0:00.

Sometimes you will experience moments of seemingly pleasurable excitement only to quickly vanish like a chair pulled from underneath you while you hit the ground to the laughter of everyone.

You will always be ridiculed and out casted by fans of other teams for everything and anything. When the trend is to put down fans for being too obnoxious or over-the-top, you and your fellow fans will be top of the list even though our behavior is no different than most other legions.

When the trend is to make fun of fans that follow teams that lose, once again, you, I and our fellow fans will be at the top of the list despite teams like the Bengals, Lions and Rams that are just as bad or worse.

When it becomes trendy to be loud and crazy for your team, you will be no where near the top of the list.

When it becomes trendy to list all of the dynasties that have existed, your Browns' dynasty in the 50s will be conveniently "irrelevant" and outdated while the Packers in the first two Super Bowls soon after will still be legit.

And when the one thing you and I can stake claim to, heartbreak, is the trend.....again, we will be somewhere on the bottom of the list behind the "lovable losers," Chicago Cubs and the Seattles and Arizonas of the world.

You won't be able to win for losing.

Your sister, cousins, uncle and I are used to it.

Come. Join us in our misery.

(or at least mine)