I feel guilty about my happiness

So a bunch of millionaires finally figured out how to divide their pie after months of name calling, pandering, pouting and finally “negotiations.”

Personally, I have no use for a bunch of whiny millionaires complaining that they’re not making enough money playing a game that every kid I knew growing up would play for free. And yet … I’m looking forward to watching them play.

Personally, I have no use for a bunch of whiny millionaires complaining that they only get half of the revenue made by the product of the previously mentioned millionaires. And yet … I’m glad they got it resolved.

I want to boycott hockey. In fact, I had decided to boycott hockey shortly before the New Year. I decided that I would not wear any NHL paraphernalia until the league got its act together and there was actually some hockey being played. I feared I would have three less t-shirts, two less long sleeve shirts, one less jersey and about a dozen less baseball caps to wear until at least the fall.

But then the stark realization apparently smacked all those millionaires in the face that if they don’t bake a pie, there’s nothing for them to split. As such it looks like I’ll be wearing Buffalo Sabres garb come mid-January.

And I’m quite pleased about that.

That said, I hope there are people with better resolve than me. I hope there are some hockey fans out there with the discipline to make this league and the players pay for robbing us of three months worth of joy.

There have been many news stories about NHL fans potentially boycotting the rest of the season. Or at least the first week. Or first game. Maybe they’ll just show up late. But probably not. The arenas will be full. Because we’re lemmings. And that’s why they knew they could get away with their shenanigans.

As a side note, I had a thought that I feel almost silly for thinking: This will be the year the Sabres win the Stanley Cup. And I don’t want them to.

Sure, you could make the argument that we’ve been longing for a Cup and this community needs a win. But the 2013 Stanley Cup will come with an asterisk. It will come with the notation that it was a shortened season. And as such, whoever wins it will be branded and “kind of” NHL champions.

I’d hate to see that sort of a mark on the Sabres record. Especially with it being their first Stanley Cup win ever.

Of course, I’m getting ahead of myself. They still haven’t dropped a puck.

Scott Leffler is a hockey fan who is looking forward to watching millionaires skate around on perfectly formed ice rinks. Share his joyful disappointment on Twitter @scottleffler.

Misplaced hero worship gets smacked down

I was an average teenage American boy.

And like average teenage American boys of my time, I collected baseball cards. I also collected football cards, hockey cards and the occasional collectible cards associated with movies and TV shows. I’m not sure if they still make those, but I know they still make sports trading cards.

There is a huge industry related to the hero worship of athletes. Aside from the trading cards, there’s also shirts, hats, posters — you name it. We buy the sports stuff so we can feel like we’re “part of it.” The “it” of course, being something important.

The hero worship of athletes, alone, is a huge industry. Add in movie stars and television actors, and millions of Americans spend a large portion of their time and money trying to feel a “part of” something “important.”

Today is Election Day, of course, and that adds in another sector of the hero-worship industry: Politicians. Granted, I think it’s a much smaller scale, but I can confess to having a bumper sticker and pin collection from throughout the years. A few years ago, I was offered a pretty penny for a Ron Paul pin I was wearing at the time. I refused the offer, electing instead to keep my pin.

But what of society’s real heroes? Where is the industry to worship — or at least salute — them? Where are the trading cards for doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, and even teachers?

I was having a conversation with a friend on Sunday during the Bills game. We were discussing this oddity and imagining how strange it would be to see doctors wearing jerseys during live-to-air broadcasts of appendectomies or whatnot.

Imagine how surreal it would be if your kids were talking about the statistics of successful operations or graduating rates or arrests or — well, I think you get the picture.

I’d love to see a local hospital start this trend. I’d love to see someone go out on a limb to try to start this trend of appropriately placed hero worship. Or at least respect.

Sure, people directly affected by the successful operations show their respect. Yes, people silently appreciate criminals being arrested and kids learning their multiplication tables. But isn’t it bizarre how little importance is given to these things that actually matter.

Now, I’m not saying this to bash sports figures, actors or even politicians. I have a very healthy appreciation for the morale boost that can be given to a city by a big win by their football team. But in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter how few championships Buffalo has. And save for a few millionaires and those who lost bets this weekend, the Bills loss to the Jets this Sunday doesn’t truly affect many people in Western New York. And yet, we act like it does.

I am an average adult male. And like most average adult males of my time, I have a T-shirt with an NFL logo on it.

I’m guilty of misdirected hero worship. But I’m wondering why. Are you?