It's not a curse, it's a collection.

I have a hat collection that started when I was about nine.

In the past couple of days, I've looked at the hats and jerseys I regularly wear, or at least try to, and recently I've realized that a lot of people would be embarrassed to wear the colors, numbers or logos depicted on most of them.

As much sports as I read, write about and watch, the teams and athletes I cheer for sure aren't very good. Or, they're unfortunate. Depends on what mood I'm in.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mountain Dew hat. Carolina Hurricanes hat. Cam Ward jersey. Jake Delhomme jersey. Marco Andretti hat. Charlotte Bobcats hat. A who's who of what a lot of bloggers call, 2009 epic fail.

Dale Jr. is 40th in today's Coca-Cola 600, but look on the bright side...OK, that's the problem. There isn't one. Forget watching a NASCAR race and hoping Junior will win. Or finish top-5, top-10 or top-20 even. He has become NASCAR's David Duval: a title contender for a long time, and then all of a sudden, a nobody. He's a backmarker and his 88 team, at Hendrick Motorsports, home of 3 of NASCAR's 7 best teams, isn't even 30th best right now in my opinion.

Last season, in the May stretch of Richmond, Darlington and Charlotte, Earnhardt was wrecked while leading in the closing laps, finished 4th at Darlington and 5th at Charlotte.

This year? 27th 27th, and (after what else, a 27th place start) 40th. Utterly terrible. From 2000-2008, I remember him missing his pit maybe four times. This year he's done it about 10. I can't honestly see him ever winning another race and people may say I'm jumping to conclusion but prove me wrong. He ran a solid 2nd at Talladega and other than that is pretty much the same as 2006 Kyle Petty. It's frustrating. But it's not just him. Crew chief (and I use that term loosely) Tony Eury Jr. has been horrible and today, it's not Junior's fault, because Jimmie Johnson couldn't handle the pig of a car that is the 88.

Next year Junior will be in the All-Star qualifying race for, let's not pull punches, NASCAR's rejects. While David Reutimann and Brad Keselowski will be in the big show because they won a race, not a fan vote.

Some call it a slump; as the awful starts and even worse finishes pile up, Junior continues to lose fans and respect among his fellow drivers. It's not a good thing. I'll not give up on Junior, even when/if he falls to 30th or 35th every week the rest of his now-disappointing career. But it's very painful to even consider wearing the black Mountain Dew hat. But I do and will keep doing it, because I have to. For my own sake and the off chance he finishes 26th someday.

My "fandom" is spared being called a curse because of the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes, who won the Stanley Cup. Aside from a Daytona 500, a Super Bowl appearance and one IndyCar win, it's all I've got. The Canes have had a good season, they've overachieved, but now in the Eastern Conference Finals against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins, they're down 3-0 and are done. Cam Ward has surrendered 16 goals, but poor defense in front of him hasn't helped.

The Canes have been good to me; they won a title, and they've gone deep in the playoffs three times in nine years.

Ahh, the Panthers.

2003 Super Bowl appearance and a near-win thanks mostly to Jake Delhomme. A 2005 NFC Title appearance that was a train wreck due to awful defense and 3 Jake picks. A 2008 division title that led to a playoff train wreck due to uninspired defense and 5 Jake picks.

They're never bad (unless it's the playoffs recently, apparently) and unfortunately, never great. But I stick behind them, because I've loved them longer and more than any other team, and always will. My Jake poster no longer adorns my wall. But it's still sitting in my room framed and I'm not taking it out. I still love it.

The Bobcats hat. Michael Jordan, buy the team please. Next.

Marco Andretti hat. Marco suffered the heartbreak of losing the '06 Indy 500 at the last possible second, and yesterday was crashed by rookie Mario Moraes, or as I'm sure Marco calls him, Mario "Needs" More Eyes. No wins since '06 at Infineon, but this year the only thing that's kept him out of the top 10 is mistakes by other drivers. He gives me some hope.

I wonder if sports will turn on its axis if I start to cheer for Kyle Busch, Danica Patrick, the Patriots, the Lakers, and the Penguins.

Doesn't matter. I won't turn on my favorites even when the athletic planets all align in the exact way necessary for them all to suck at the exact same time. Don't ask me about Super Bowl XXXVIII, the '06 Indy 500, George Shinn, Dale Jr.'s 2009 season, or anything that deals with Evgeni Malkin.

Sports has become all cringing and no clapping for me, for quite some time now in most cases.

But I'll trudge on, because that's what you're supposed to do. I won't leave my favorite teams, players and drivers when they're struggling, because they're my favorites. I don't want to be a fairweather fan, so I'll buy some time.

But no more hats.