One of the first things to think about when you’re approaching true sports fandom is allegiance. We regard people who defect to other countries or fight against their own nations as traitors, and the same is true with sports. If you’ve already chosen a team, you’ve got to stick with it. Choosing a team is not something you would do as casually as picking a sandwich at Subway. In other words, you can’t say “Well, I’m not really in a Cubs mood anymore—I think I’ll try the Yankees this year.” It’s ‘til death do you part. In like manner, you shouldn’t switch teams just because your favorite player got traded or because you married into a family that supports a different team. And switching teams because of poor performance is the ultimate low, by the way. Good people support their teams until the bitter end.

Let’s talk gear for a moment. Decking out your house in all your team’s paraphernalia is a great idea, as long as your flagrant support doesn’t cause any discord at home. But if you’re lucky enough, it’s a great idea to create a room dedicated to worshipping at the holy shrine of your team’s glory. Throw pillows, mugs, blankets, framed jerseys, and area rugs all show your friends that you’re serious enough about your team to splatter their colors all over your house.

And bringing your team’s colors with you wherever you go isn’t a bad idea, either. To be clear though, it’s probably not a good idea to wear your Steeler’s tie to an important meeting with a client. But picture this: you’re just wrapping up a day of work, the sun is shining, and you jog into the parking lot where your silver BMW Z3 is waiting. You jump inside, jab a button, and the BMW Z3 convertible top retracts. There you are—surrounded by custom-made upholstery or leather, proudly dyed to match your team’s colors. Add your custom license plate to show your true devotion it’ll be clear that you’re no garden-variety fan. You’re a fan that teams long to have.

A quick word about actively rooting against your team of choice: this is only permissible in the event that a leading player, owner, or coach has acted out against fans in a way that is so unconscionable or egregious that supporters cannot help but feel hurt and betrayed. If such a scenario is the case, then “boo” away.

But perhaps the best tip you can follow in your quest to become a true sports fan is to do as the Romans do—if your friends and family root for the same team you do, don’t do anything that elicits blank stares from them. Follow this advice and your road to true sports fandom should be a smooth one.

He has helped revive the Knicks season and is helping them start racking up checks in the win column–something they weren’t exactly doing without him–including his career high 38 against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. And one of the best things about him is that he’s not just scoring points–he’s also racking up assists in loads as well. He’s a smart player that gets the team involved and working together. Check out some highlights:

When picking up a new sport or hobby, many people like to dabble in the shallow end of the pool. With limited time, resources, and energy, they figure that it’s better to get at least a little experience than no experience at all. That’s probably true. But for other outdoor enthusiasts, this approach just doesn’t do. Why go through all the research to choose a sport, only to exert a halfhearted effort? No—the rallying cry for many is “Go big or go home!” and the same is true in the world of competition wakeboarding. If you’re just getting started in the sport but you plan to go far, there are a few things to consider first.

It’s also helpful to get to know the roots of the sport. Wakeboarding was created sometime in the 1980’s, after the independent creative efforts of people working in locations as diverse as Australia, Florida, and Canada. The advent of snowboarding got people thinking about whether something similar would be possible on the water. Inventors created various prototypes of the wakeboard during the 1980’s, and the sport began to flourish during the 1990’s. As the newly-christened “wakeboarding” gained popularity, equipment and technology both improved. Specialized wakeboards became more widely available, and as with any new sport, practitioners slowly gained experience together.

So what does that have to do with you? Well, you don’t have to make the same mistakes that previous generations of ers have! You can learn about the equipment, the technique, and the rules.

You won’t get very far in wakeboarding if you don’t have the right gear. If you golf, you’ll know that it would be suicide to try to take a tee shot using a putter. Specific clubs have specific functions, and the same is true of the various types of wakeboards. Generally speaking, wider boards offer more stability for the rider but also less speed. Narrower boards allow for a more aggressive style, though the tradeoff is stability. So take a few minutes to decide what type of style you want to learn—you wouldn’t want to get the wrong board. You should also definitely get yourself a good life vest, and, if you’re worried about getting cold, a wetsuit.

Almost as important as the type of board you use is the boat itself. Ski and wakeboard boats both float on the water, but beyond that their purposes are quite distinct from each other. Unlike ski boats, wakeboard boats are designed to create large channels for riders to cross over, almost like an aquatic version of the snowplow. In addition to the unique “v-drive” placement of the engine, most wakeboard boats have ballast tanks that allow for greater submersion, and therefore larger wakes. If you try to wakeboard behind a ski boat, you’ll likely get lots of practice staying upright, but not much practice getting airborne. One other consideration with the boat that you choose is how many people you can fit. Wakeboarding is better experienced as a group so having a boat that can fit a lot of people is a definite plus. A boat bench seat will give you more room to be able to fit more people and it will help the boat put out a bigger wake for the wakeboarder.

Ok . . . well Tebowing isn’t dead. But Tebow’s season was so along came a new fascination: Bradying. Following the under-par

performance by the New England Patriots those who were disappointed and feeling down took to Bradying.  It stemmed from Brady’s pose at the end of the Super Bowl after a disappointing failure to complete a game winning drive.

More accurately, Bradying probably could stem from the failure of those around you to properly complete their job–namely wide
receivers in Brady’s case as clearly outlined by Brady’s wife Giselle. Check out her analysis of the game:

In case you couldn’t hear she said: “My husband cannot [expletive] throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”

So proper Bradying could mean that you did your part but your teammates didn’t do their job. And so the trend begins . . .

Before and after the game, it’s about the quarterbacks. During the game, it’s football. But the story… the story is the quarterbacks.

That’s how Trent Dilfer became the modern poster child of bad Super Bowl winning quarterbacks. He should feel honored. In fact, he wasn’t as bad as we remember. He was very competent, almost average, a first-round draft pick yet anonymous — sort of the Brady Quinn of his day. But he has a ring, thus the legend of Trent Dilfer.

In this year’s Super Bowl , with a matchup of Tom Brady and Eli Manning, the focus on the quarterbacks is well deserved. Brady, it can be argued, is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Manning, however, played better than Tom Brady last week, and that’s no argument. That’s fact.

It’s going to be fascinating. Last year’s Super Bowl matchup featured two great but very different quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger. This year, Brady and Manning have played at exceedingly high levels, and each is loaded with weapons.

Manning’s main weapons — Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham — are on the outside. Brady’s main weapons — Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Wes Welker — work the mid-level of the field. Brady is precise in moving around inside the pocket and even more precise throwing before he is hit. Manning seems to have doubled how good he is in the last half of this season. Before the last two months, no one thought he was as good as his brother. It’s suddenly plausible.

Against the 49ers in the NFC championship game, Manning took some brutal hits and still made brilliant throws. Brady, as has been proven more than once, including by the Giants in their last Super Bowl matchup, is ordinary when he gets hit a lot.

So who is the better quarterback? It depends. If the Giants can get to Brady enough, Manning might have the edge. Left untouched, Brady is better than anyone ever, or at least since Otto Graham. This is not to say Manning is tougher. It’s just that he’s recently been more accurate when he is getting mugged. I expect a both sides to try a mugging. I can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen.

• The Lakers used 12 fourth quarter points from Kobe Bryant to rally for a 96-91 win over the Clippers. After the final whistle, scuffles broke out on the floor when Pau Gasol patted Chris Paul on the head. “I don’t know if Pau’s got kids, but don’t touch my head like I’m one of your kids,” said an angry Paul. “I don’t have kids,” responded Gasol. “Yet.” Then he winked at the camera, and held up a placard with his phone number and a picture of a rose.

• Rafael Nadal continued his Grand Slam dominance over Roger Federer, winning in four sets to advance to the Australian Open final. Rafa is now 8-2 over his rival in the Grand Slams, and 18-9 overall, leading to the odd situation where Federer is the greatest player of all-time, and yet only the second-greatest of his own era. “It’s a historian’s nightmare!” shouted a frantic historian, fumbling with his glasses and tripping over a pile of history books.

• Maria Sharapova broke her opponent’s serve in the final game of the third set to advance to the Australian Open final, where she’ll meet Victoria Azarenka. “No matter what happens, someone evil win,” said deceased former Senator Joseph McCarthy.

• LeBron James hit six free throws over the final 80 seconds to give the Heat a 101-98 win over the Pistons. When asked what the key was to performing under pressure, a confused James asked the reporter why he was being interviewed after the third quarter, and why everyone was leaving the court.

• Just days after a huge win over Baylor, no. 2 Missouri suffered a let-down at Oklahoma State, losing 79-72. “I guess the state motto is true,” said Missouri coach Frank Haith. “Everyone suffers a let-down in Oklahoma.”

• Mason Plumlee scored 23 points and grabbed 12 boards as no. 4 Duke weathered a raucous crowd at College Park to beat Maryland 74-61. When it became clear that Maryland wouldn’t come back, thousands of couches fled the campus in terror, heading north where they’d heard tales of people who wouldn’t burn them anytime something bad happened.

• Graham Zusi scored the first international goal of his career as Team USA beat Panama 1-0 in an exhibition match in Panama City. After the goal, Zusi insulted Panamanian fans by doing a classic Teddy Roosevelt pantomime. “I have to admit though,” said one fan. “He really nailed Teddy Roosevelt. The canal-digging part was inspired.”

• The Indianapolis Colts hired Ravens defense coordinator Chuck Pagano to be the team’s next head coach. Meanwhile, actor Rob Lowe continued to be a thorn in the side of the Colts organization by tweeting that Pagano once murdered a man in Las Vegas over a game of cards.

• In his first competitive round of 2012, Tiger Woods made two birdies and no bogeys at the Abu Dhabi Championship. Woods claimed he would have made more birdies, but the camel they assigned him as a caddie kept handing him the 3-wood at inappropriate times.

Instead, in a battle between two mistake-prone teams, the Beavers somehow kept it relatively close until the final quarter.

While the Cougar defense forced four turnovers, the offense squandered several scoring opportunities. But the offense was good enough to roll up a season-high 499 yards total offense and score more points in a game than they had all season in a 38-28 triumph over OSU Saturday afternoon at Reser Stadium.

Associated Press

Oregon State’s Andrew Seumalo, left, misses a tackle against BYU’s quarterback Nelson Riley (13) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Corvallis, Ore., Saturday Oct. 15, 2011.

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“I’m proud of our football team to go on the road and get a win,” said coach Bronco Mendenhall. “We certainly had our share of miscues that kept the game competitive.”

BYU, which has now won four consecutive games, improved to 5-2 on the season while OSU dropped to 1-5.

The Cougars rushed for a season-high 282 yards and wide receiver Cody Hoffman caught a career-high nine passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown.

“We’re starting to show what kind of offense we can be, and it’s exciting,” said left tackle Matt Reynolds.

For much of the game, BYU was firmly in control, even if the score didn’t always reflect that.

“Our team is gaining momentum and making progress, but we’re not at the point to where we could end up (winning) 45-17 or something like that,” Mendenhall said. “There’s progress being made, but not enough yet to have the consistency. In the meantime, I like the wins that are coming.”

Late in the third quarter, BYU was outgaining OSU in total yardage, 377-166, but led by only 10 points, 24-14. Then, the Beavers scored on a 59-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 24-21 — despite the fact OSU had turned the ball over on its three previous possessions. Two of those turnovers were in Beaver territory.

But the Cougars scored only three points off those turnovers.

“When (the defense) kept getting those turnovers, it was frustrating not coming away with touchdowns,” said quarterback Riley Nelson, who completed 17-of-27 passes for 217 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and rushed 12 times for 87 yards. “We feel like we left some points out there.”

On one of those drives, running back Michael Alisa ran 30 yards for a touchdown, but it was negated by a holding penalty.

“That was very frustrating,” Nelson said.

Another frustrating moment: when Nelson threw an interception to OSU’s Jordan Poyer that he returned 51 yards for a touchdown late in the first half to tie the score, 14-14.

But to start the second half, BYU made a statement by promptly marching 80 yards for a score. The drive was capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Nelson to Hoffman. BYU seized a 21-14 advantage, and never trailed again.

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