If there is only one thing you'll learn about me, it's that the Texas Rangers are my life. For those who wish to know, my dream job is to be the play-by-play television broadcaster for them, so I am as committed to the team as I'll ever be.
Because I live and breathe Rangers baseball, I've experienced both good and bad moments. I'll always remember where I was when the Rangers won the pennant in 2010, and I'll always remember where I was when David Freese broke my heart in 2011.
Rangers fans, both real and fake, will remember these moments because they were during the years of the team's success. What separates the real fans from all you fake fans out there are those moments when the team has struggled. I remember the Rangers of the early to mid 2000s, and I remember the Rangers of 2014. Do you fake fans remember?
Every year, a fan loyalty index comes out, and if it is accurate, the Rangers have the fifth-least loyal fans in all of baseball this year. I've tried to ignore that, because over the past few years, there have been constant sellouts at games and I see all my friends post pictures of themselves at the games. However, this year has been different. The Rangers were horrible at the start of the year, and attendance at games proved it. I also saw significantly less posts on social media from friends attending games. The team started to play better and win more games, and you fake fans started to show yourselves, both in attendance and online.
I honestly don't expect the Rangers to make any noise this year, but I will be cheering even if they finish in last place. I know plenty of people who are just like me, but I also know a decent amount of you fake fans who are simply waiting for that team next door to start playing, and I can't wait for them to start because you don't deserve to set your eyes upon that beautiful diamond.
A time will come when the Rangers will finally record that 27th out, and you fake fans will be cheering louder than the real fans. You will be the ones partying all night long, while the real fans will be watching the clinching moment on replay over and over again with a tear rolling down our faces, because we will finally be free of the ghosts of 2011.
Obviously I cannot stop you fake fans from doing what you do best, but remember this: when I am broadcasting Rangers games many years down the road, and you ask for tickets for "an old friend," I will ask you this: Where were you when the Texas Rangers struggled?
