OK, fine. They're good.

Thanks to a father's love of his son, my dad brought me up primarily on four sports teams - Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, Ohio State football, and University of Dayton basketball. While my teams have experienced some success in my lifetime - three World Series titles, two Super Bowl appearances, a national championship, and some NCAA appearances - it more often feels as if my teams, well, stink. The Reds haven't seriously contended for years since losing their one-game Wild Card playoff. The Bengals are once again a joke after a short-lived tease. Ohio State is a national contender who has stubbed its toe in its last three "really big" games. Dayton, um, Dayton is always on the cusp of something special.

All of this is background information that shows why it's difficult for me to admit that yes, the 2008 Columbus Crew are good. Heck, they're actually really good. As of today they sit atop the league table with an eight-point cushion on second-place New England. Mathematically, it might be more difficult to NOT win the Supporters Shield at this stage. Should results fall perfectly, Columbus could win the Shield this weekend (I haven't double-checked that; I'm relying solely on some good posters on BigSoccer). Even supporters of other teams have to admit that the yellow soccer team, previously a target for laughter, is turning the joke back.

This is an unusal feeling for a Crew supporter. The last three years have been dismal, if not worse. Attending games was like a chore, but a chore without the satisfaction of knowing something can be crossed off the list. Oh, right, it was also a chore that I paid to do. In some respects it was like prostitution - Crew supporters were paying the Crew to get screwed. Did I mention those years were dismal?

And, let's be honest - the years before these latest Dark Ages weren't exactly overflowing with greatness. Sure, there was an Open Cup title and a Supporters Shield mixed in but, for the most part, seasons ended in disappointment and disgust while hoping that the Crew were really just one key player away from getting over the hump. However, instead of getting over the hump the Crew were just a modern-day Sisyphus with different teams filling the role of the rock.

The 2008 Crew just feels different from previous editions and, despite my always waiting for the "other shoe," this team is good. They win at home, they win on the road. They win from in front, they win from behind. They win with a legitimate MVP candidate, they win with him out. They win with their preferred starters, they win with reserves filling in for injuries, suspensions, and national team absences. Though it's been happening all season, frankly this team amazes me each week by doing something they shouldn't - coming from behind on the road, winning on turf, or whatever other obstacle is in their way.

With four league matches remaining, the Supporters Shield in sight, and the Crew actually charging toward the finish - unlike maybe briskly walking like in 2004 - I might have to go to Los Angeles to watch the Eastern Conference champs take on the Western Conference champs.