Fans’ passion second to none

It's time for Halloween, time for professional drag racing in Las Vegas and time to rediscover my passion as a fan.

For every racer and athlete I like, I find reasons not to. It's part of being an unbiased reporter, something I try to live by. That neutrality has thwarted one of the greatest reasons to follow sports. Being a fan is a luxury.

I'm working today, and that means I get a free pass, special parking, free soft drinks and get to sit in an air-conditioned press box at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

What some could perceive as perks are means for me to better focus on relaying news and views to you. But that comes at a price. I can't cheer or boo.

Until this summer, I forgot what I had been missing.

Thanks to nephew-in-law Glenn this summer, I have a greater appreciation of how fans fuel sports entertainment, which basically gives me a job.

Glenn, the loving lad he is, took me to a San Francisco Giants game with his family while I visited them in August in the Bay Area. He bought my ticket, and my niece dropped me off at the stadium before paying $20 to park a mile away.

But I still had to walk to the top of the stadium, wait in line to visit a urinal, buy some overpriced snacks, walk back to our car, then stop and go in traffic for about an hour.

It made me appreciate what race fans do when attending events like this weekend's drags and annual NASCAR visits.

Those experiences at AT&T Park, however, made be a reborn Giants fan. I've put aside how free agency cast a pall on being a fan and proudly wear the orange and black of the Giants. I don't cover baseball, so bias be damned.

Thanks to my dad, I grew up following the Giants through newspapers and their rare televised appearances in Ohio on the "Game of the Week" or when they played Cincinnati.

I hated the Reds but loved the Giants and Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal and Tom Haller. Then free agency drove me away.

Now I love the Giants, especially rookie catcher Buster Posey. Always loved catchers.

Memories reminded me why folks wait to get autographs from star drivers. I have no interest in getting autographs, but thanks to Glenn and Posey, I no longer scoff at those who do.

With any luck, controversy won't surface at the track this weekend and all racers will be safe, enabling me to write fun feature stories and follow title runs instead of being an investigative reporter or writing critically of the event.

I'm getting a jump today on Halloween with a Brian Wilson disguise. He's the Giants relief pitcher who sports a dyed-black beard. That's why my photo here is different.

I would have preferred it look like the cherub-faced Posey, but my health insurance doesn't cover plastic surgery and a hair transplant.

The NHRA shouldn't "fear the beard" this weekend, but the Rangers should shudder at Wilson's menacing glance.

Fans are why sports are a billion-dollar business. No racers appreciate fans more than drag racers.

This is as far as I can go being a cheerleader, and be thankful I didn't opt for that to be my costume. If this beard looks weird, imagine me in a short skirt and midriff top. On second thought, don't.

Enjoy being a drag racing fan this weekend while I root for the Giants in the World Series.

Jeff Wolf's motor sports column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247. Visit Wolf's motor sports blog at lvrj.com/blogs/heavypedal/ throughout the week.