Let's go streaking

Streaks in sports are amazing.

NOTE: I didn't say streakers. (Although those are pretty amusing, too. Especially if they happen in a "dignified" sport like golf or tennis.)

But being able to come out every day for an extended period of time and get it right is truly remarkable.

56 games with a hit.

122 consecutive wins in the 400-meter hurdles.

59 straight scoreless innings.

7 consecutive Tours de France. Oops.

2,632 consecutive games played.

11 straight PGA tour wins.

Most of these records are so notable, I don't even have to say who did them to a lot of sports fans.

More than any of these individual records, though, team streaks are even more amazing. It's not about one man being on his game every night, it's about a whole team.

Why do we still talk about the '72 Dolphins and the '76 Hoosiers? Because no one in those respective sports has completed an undefeated season since, and a lot of us doubt anyone ever will.

The seemingly untouchable streaks in the MLB and NBA seem to be 26 straight by the 1916 New York Giants and 33 in a row by the 1971-'72 Los Angeles Lakers. They are amazing and seemingly untouchable records.

Except that for the last week or so, the Miami Heat had us all thinking someone might challenge that great Laker team of old. Whether they were destroying opponents or pulling out victories at the last moment, what the Heat did over a 27-game span was truly remarkable.

And that's why I found myself on Wednesday night, against all my instincts as a sports fan, cheering for Miami to pull out another late victory in Chicago.

But I was late to the party. By the time I got around to actually caring about the streak and actively rooting for the Heat, they ended up losing. A lot of good that did me.

Of course I don't like this team, and I can't imagine anything that will make me like them, but streaks are fun. They give you the kind of "I remember when..." stories that every old sports fan should be able to tell.

With this streak now over, I guess I'll have to go to my fallback favorite sports memory:

Joe Namath + liquor + Suzy Kolber = MAGIC!

So, like I was saying before ... I hate the Miami Heat.