DR. WALLACE: I'm a guy who's in high school and I love sports. I play on two of our high school's teams, and I follow college and professional sports closely. Most of my friends and teammates root for similar teams, but we actually live in a state that does not have professional teams because the nearest ones to us geographically are a state away in different directions.

This has caused a lot of teasing and even derision of me since I root for the opposite Major League Baseball team that nearly all my friends root for. I support the team I do because my father loves this team as he was raised in that team's home state. He used to drive me to games up there during the summer when I was only 6, 7 and 8 years old, and I also fell in love with that team and their unique stadium.

Why is it that sports team rivalries tend to become so serious? It's almost to the point that some of my good friends are starting to treat me as an outcast whenever professional baseball becomes the topic of discussion. — They Don't Like My Team, via email

THEY DON'T LIKE MY TEAM: Selecting which professional sports team to root for is an individual's decision, and one that is rarely changed on a whim for most fans.

It's unfortunate that these days our culture seems to prefer conflict over respectful harmony when it comes to many topics, including something that should be as innocuous as which sports team one roots for.

Sadly, there have even been instances where fans wearing an opposing jersey at a home team's stadium have been badly beaten during altercations in the parking lots at various sporting events.

Rooting and cheering for one team or another should be a personal freedom everyone should enjoy freely. It's sad when good-natured teasing escalates into something uglier when it comes to this topic.

My advice is to just laugh off any teasing or harsh comments you may hear about your "team," and don't gloat if your team wins a big game or two over theirs. Simply mention that you're proud of your team and that you have respect for theirs, and that all teams at times enjoy a few nice wins and experience tough losses as well. Then, go on to mention how much you value the friendships you have with your teammates, and let the rest of anything else said roll off you like water off a duck's back!

I DON'T THINK I'M JUST GOING TO GROW OUT OF THIS

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 13-year-old girl and I can already tell that I need to watch my weight, or to be more accurate, I need to lose some weight. I brought this up to my mom the other day and she told me, "You'll grow out of it, it's only baby fat!"

I don't know about that, but I do know that for the past few years I've been constantly gaining weight. My mom cooks a lot of greasy and unhealthy meals, and I feel this is at least part of my problem. Do you agree with me or my mother about my weight? — Not a Baby Anymore, via email

NOT A BABY ANYMORE: I agree that your mother's comment about "baby fat" is unfounded. At 13, you are nowhere near a baby's age and your body bears little resemblance to a baby.

You are likely gaining weight by taking in many more calories each week than you are burning off. To stop gaining weight and hopefully begin to lose some weight, you should eat fewer calories per day, but eat enough healthy calories to keep your body well fueled, and couple that with regular exercise. You can start out with brisk walking for 10 or 15 minutes at a time, twice a day, and then build up to walking briskly 20 to 25 minutes at a time, twice a day.

If you are able to do this gradually, over time you will start to see modest results. And if you like the modest results and can stick with your program, you will eventually see even better and more noticeable results.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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