Confession time

My name is Terri-Ann, and I am a Leafs fan.

It truly does feel like a confession, a dirty little secret, these days. With no cable hookup, I don't watch the games anymore. Plus James isn't a hockey fan, and I never liked taking our Saturday night up watching something without him, or that he wasn't interested in.

But I am still a Leafs fan at heart. I don't think that ever changes. I still like to listen to updates on the team, hear the summaries of their games, and follow the race to the playoffs.

One thing I do NOT like: the way people and reporters hang on to the very last playoff hope in the dying games of the season. If it comes down to the very last game or two, or to games played or points earned or wins/losses against a certain team, why even bother? Even if the team manages to grab the last playoff spot, odds are the other team (first in the league) will wipe the floor with them. Who wants to see that? The way I see it, you have to fight and play all season, not just show up for the last few weeks. If you haven't earned your spot to play for the Stanley cup by now, it's over.

So at a time when die-hard fans are biting their nails every morning when they open the sports page of the newspaper and check last night's results, at a time when casual fans are jumping on the bandwagon, at a time when lapsed fans (like me) tune in to games they wouldn't usually watch just to get some last gulps of Leafs air, I'm tuning out.

(Okay, okay. If by some miracle they actually do grab a spot, I confess I will likely watch at least the first playoff game. And if it isn't too painful, I might even try and tune in for much of the round. Because, hey - my name is Terri-Ann and I am a Leafs fan. And if you're a Leafs fan, you're a Leaf fan to the end!)