Love 'Em Or Hate 'Em: Winners

Today's entry is a fun one - "Love 'em or Hate 'em." Every now and then I'll take a look at a few teams, players, uniforms, cities - you name it - and I'll tell you if I love 'em or hate 'em. It's really quite simple.


Today we look at the winningest franchises/players in their respective sports. Ready go!


Pittsburgh Steelers (6 Super Bowl Titles) - I think I speak for all of us when I say I miss Kordell Stewart. He's really the only Steeler I've ever found myself cheering for. I'm of the opinion that if you don't pity a Pittsburgh team (the Pirates), then you root against it. And I certainly don't pity the Steelers.  I hate 'em.


New York Yankees (27 World Series Titles) - Fans of every other team (especially the Red Sox) love to complain about how much money the Yankees spend. And it's true - the Yankees have an astronomical $206 million payroll this season. But before judgement is made, I say this: other teams, like the Cubs, Red Sox, and Mets spend about 75% of that. They just spend it a lot worse. How often do you hear about the Yankees signing a player like Julio Lugo to a $36 million deal? Not much. So love 'em or hate 'em? I still hate 'em, but I do respect 'em.


Montreal Canadiens (24 Stanley Cup Titles) - The Canadiens have an utterly tremendous amount of history. And if you've ever played NHL '10 as the Canadiens' centennial all-star team, I'm sure you can only describe it as a life-changing experience. But they're from Canada. And I love America. So love 'em or hate 'em for the Canadiens? I hate 'em.


Boston Celtics (17 NBA Titles) - In any discussion of NBA greatness, only two franchises even enter the conversation: the Celtics and the Lakers. And everything about the Lakers is just so hate-able. Ipso factso, I love the Celtics. Love 'em.


Roger Federer (16 Grand Slam Titles) - I used to hate Federer unconditionally for the mere fact that he won all the time. But now Nadal has entered the picture, and I have trouble rooting for Spaniards after what Pau Gasol did to my eyes. So I find myself cheering more and more for Roger every time he's in a Grand Slam. Love him or hate him? I reluctantly love him.


Brazil (5 World Cup Titles) - 4 years ago during the World Cup, I made the tragic mistake of driving through Somerville after Brazil won a group stage game. I was stuck in the car for 45 minutes while Brazilian-Americans danced through the streets. I begin with this anecdote because it epitomizes everything I feel about the Brazilian soccer team. They annoy me. And if they had one redeeming quality, it was that their flashiness made them fun to watch. Well, Dunga ruined that. Maybe that's why he got the axe. I love watching Brazil in turmoil because, as I'm sure you could have guessed, I hate 'em.